The way things could have been
by ArmySFC
Summary: What could have happened if the events of the past were slightly different. Shipper friendly, just not at first.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: It's been a while since i posted a story so bear with me. Many events may seem out of sequence at first, hence the title. You'll see what i mean. My take on what might have happened if the past was slightly different than in canon. Hope you all enjoy it. If not let me know same for those that like it. **

**usual disclaimers apply, i don't own Chuck yadda yadda yadda. Enjoy!**

Summer 2006

Five men were seated around a green felt covered table. The only source of light was single light hanging above the table. Smoke rose from three cigars like tendrils searching for a new place to hang on. The eyes of each man sitting at the table searched the others faces looking for any small sign of the others next move. Silence could not be more deafening.

Josh Miller, small time arms dealer, was seated closest to the dealer. Not the biggest fish in the sea by any means. The connections he did have were staggering. Josh had connections to one of the world's largest and most powerful arms dealers, Alexi Volkoff. Josh snuck another peak at his hole card, glanced at the pile of chips, then tossed in a stack of black chips.

"Mr. Miller raises 100," stated the dealer.

The next person to make his move is Connor MacArthur. Connor is the head of a terrorist cell for the IRA and master mind of one of the worst bombings in Northern Ireland. His goal today was securing more weapons and ammunition for his cause. Connor tosses his cards away and leaves the table.

The next two men also fold. Tom and Harry Jones are middle level drug runners from Miami.

Tony Waytt, hit man for hire and general trouble shooter currently in the employment of Josh. Tony took a long look over at his boss, the last obstacle to the 1.5 million currently sitting on the table. He noticed a very slight twitch above Josh's left eye, his tell. After pushing the same size stack into the pot he gets up and moves from the table.

"I call Josh, wadda ya have?"

"Trip tens," as he flips his hole card.

"Not your day boss, flush" as Tony turns the last card over.

"Son of a bitch!"

"Told ya boss not your day. When can I expect my winnings to be wired to my account?"

Within minutes Tony's phone let him know that his money was tucked safely in his account. Verifying that it was all there, his total was now just over 5 million. _Not a bad little gig I got going here!_

"Word on the street has it my boss is looking for a good man. He's been following your work for a while now and let's just say he's impressed. Now I sure don't to lose you but when the boss wants something he gets it."

"Sounds good to me Mr. Miller, when and where will I meet my new boss?" queried Tony.

"You'll fly to London and meet her there. She's the bosses second in command and goes by the name of…

"Bryce, I don't think this is a good idea. We need to tell Graham before going off halfcocked like this."

"Look," he sighs "Sarah…it's low risk. I thought I recognized this guy I saw him the other day so I sent his description to the analysts at Langley. I did some checking around and he's playing poker with some of his business people later."

"Let me see what you have." Bryce pulls a folder from his carry bag and lays it on the table.

"This is the guy we want," sliding a couple of pictures across the table. "Josh Miller is an arms dealer. He's supposed to have connections to a real bad dude, Alexi Volkoff.

"Damn, we've been after him forever. Maybe this won't be so bad after all."

"That's why I want to do this. Do you know what it will do for our reps when we bring this guy in?"

"You're right Bryce, what about the rest of them?"

"These two guys are drug runners. Tom and Harry Jones are brothers that work out of Miami. Not really our concern. We'll turn them over to the DEA and let them handle it. The next guy, Connor MacArthur is a terrorist with the IRA. The last guy is the one we need to be careful of." Bryce slides the last picture across the table.

"Tony Waytt the muscle. He's not to be underestimated. From what I have he's killed most of Miller's competition off. If you get the chance, shoot him, don't kill him though. He's worked for a few people we can use information on."

"Fine by me. So when do we make our move?"

"The game is supposed to start in a few hours so we'll go in about 4 hours. They should be in the middle of playing by then."

"Sounds good, let's grab some food before its go time." Sarah arose room her chair and made her way to the small kitchenette to garb some food.

Several hours later the pair dressed in black BDU's and wearing balaclava''s to hide their faces entered the small bar where the poker game was taking place. Bryce and Sarah waived their guns in the air and fired off a few rounds to get the patrons attention.

"Everyone get out, NOW!" the five or so men sitting at the bar had no trouble following that order. They knew what type of things went on the neighborhood and were not about to involved with the local mob. The same time Bryce was barking orders Sarah was taking care of the 2 men that were guarding the door.

Two quick shots from her tranq gun and both guards were in lala land. She quickly holstered her tranq gun and pulled out her normal colt. Seconds later they crashed into the room.

"_You'll fly to London and meet her there. She's the bosses second in command and goes by the name of…_suddenly shots rang out from the bar area. The men that were still seated jumped to their feet sending the chairs they were sitting on crashing against the wall. In spite of the noise around him Tony caught the name just as the door came crashing in on them.

Bryce wasted no time in taking on the two men closest to the door; Tom and Harry were the first to go down from a flurry of kicks and punches. Sarah rushing in right behind Bryce went for the first target available, Tony. Tony seeing the pistol being raised and took two quick steps closer and off to the side. This slight change of direction caused Sarah to adjust her aim for a clean shot. Tony used that extra time to lash out with his left hand and knock the gun away. Sarah adjusted and went into hand to hand combat mode. During her time at the farm she was one of the best at hand to hand.

Tony only had one personal rule, he had to see the face of the person he defeated before he either killed them or knocked them out. After a barrage of punches and kicks had been thrown by both combatants, Tony made his move to end the fight. Feinting with his left hand he got Sarah to drop her guard just enough to land a shot to her stomach. She only buckled for a second but it was enough for Tony to grab her balaclava and ripped it off her head. As soon as he saw her face he froze.

_Sarah Walker CIA, SHIT what the fuck is the CIA doing here?_ _That must be her partner. This just went to hell in a hand basket._ As the final part of his thought finished he heard a shot ring out, and then felt a blinding flash of pain in his right shoulder and then nothing.

Bryce called for a cleanup team to secure the area and take care of the prisoners. Under heavy guard Tony was taken to a secure hospital to have his shoulder worked on. With the minor details taken care of, Bryce put the call in to Director Graham.

"Graham secure."

"Larkin Secure, Walker and I just apprehended Josh Miller and Connor MacArthur. We also have two minor players that we turned over to the DEA."

"Very good work Larkin and Walker. From you're last report the mission you are currently on is at a standstill?"

"That's correct Sir. Do you have any updates that will help us out?"

"We have no more information at this time. In light of today's events why don't you and Walker head back here and take some time off. You can fill me in then on what happened and how you put the plan together. I'll see you both in a few days."

"Told you it was all gonna work out," Bryce said with a smug look on his face. Sarah just rolled her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: As requested by one of my reviewers, I will try to inform you of when a time shift occurs. I intend to keep time moving in a forward in a linear manner, but things may be changed in the past. Ellie may not have met Devon, or Chuck meeting Bryce, that kind of thing. The only BETA I have is word 2010 so if the . , : seem out of place, blame Microsoft, lol. Thanks to all of you who reviewed so far.**

Chapter 2

**The next day**

Smith pulled into the parking lot of the CIA friendly hospital Waytt had been taken to. Locating the reception desk and flashing his FBI badge he made his way to the prisoner's room. The two guards stationed out front allowed his entrance after checking his credentials. He finds Waytt resting comfortably on his bed and the television tuned in to Animal Planet.

"Waytt we meet again," stated Smith.

"You knew we would. It was only a matter of time before you caught my sorry ass," answered Waytt with a cynical laugh.

"Cut the crap. What can you tell me about Miller?"

"Not so fast Agent, what's in it for me?"

"When your trial for murder comes up the CIA will express its deepest gratitude for your help."

"Oh joy! I get seven life sentences instead of ten whoopee! You got to do better than that."

"That's the best I can do, my hands are tied."

"No mine are," replied Waytt shaking his hand that was cuffed to the bed.

"Let's cut to the chase, what will it take for you to roll on Miller?"

"One, I go to one of your country club prisons. Not one of your dark, damp and dreary ones. Two, I'll be good and won't raise hell while I'm there, not that I can. Three, once I testify against Miller all bets are off."

"You killed ten men, there's no way they go for that."

"Bull shit! I did you boys a favor and you know it. I saved you time and money taking out those men. Three of them the FBI has been after for years. Besides from what the doc's tell me it's gonna be six to eight months before I'm back to one hundred percent. There's no way I'll be able to cause trouble. That Smith, is a take it or leave it deal," Waytt said with a smug look on his face.

"Give me thirty minutes to run it by some people and I'll let you know." Smith turned and left the room. Not quite thirty minutes later Smith returned.

"They agreed to your deal. You'll meet with the DA tomorrow to get it writing. So what can you tell me about Miller?"

"He has a pipeline to Alexi Volkoff…." For the next couple of hours Waytt told Smith everything he knew about Miller. "…just before your agents busted up our little game, he told me I was going to meet Volkoff's number two. That's all I got."

"That's a lot more than we had before. One last thing before I go, you'll be transferred tonight. When they come to get you don't give them too much trouble."

"Hello, bad wing here. I'm not going to be flying the coup anytime soon. Besides I gave you my word I would play nice till the trial. You can leave now." And Smith did.

**2 days after the operation. **

**Graham's office**

Walker and Larkin walked down the hall to the Directors office. Sarah was dressed in a dark blue skirt and matching jacket with a white top. Bryce was dressed in a three piece charcoal Armani suit, and light blue shirt. They knocked on the door and waited for the call to enter. Several seconds later the call of enter came and they went into the Directors office.

"Take a seat Agents," said Graham as he motioned to the chairs in front of his desk. After waiting for them to take a seat he continues, "Give me the short version of the mission."

Over the next 10 minutes or so Bryce went over the mission. When Bryce finished with his briefing, Graham stood up from his desk and walked around to stand next to his two agents. After looking at his agents for a few seconds he headed to the door and began opening it, "walk with me." He knew they would follow.

The group headed to one of the secure briefing rooms that allowed for top secret video conferencing. Locking the doors he took his seat across from his agents. They were seated at a large oak table that ran the length of the room. At the far end of the table was the large monitor used for the video portion of the briefings that were held there. Shortly after they were seated the monitor came to life and several images appeared. The face on the left was the President; the face on the right was hidden by a mask. The President began speaking.

"I'm here for one reason and one reason only. To tell you that what Mr. Smith says is the truth. Not a word will be said of this meeting after you leave this room. The results if you do will be…unpleasant. Mr. Smith you have the floor." The President's face vanished from the screen.

"Director Graham, Agent Larkin and Agent Walker, I have a few questions for you if you don't mind?"

"No Sir" was the response from the persons in question.

"Who authorized the mission you conducted the other day?"

"Sir, the idea was mine," Bryce replied "I got Intel that a person of interest was going to be at the location playing poker. I had a friend at Langley send me the information, made the plan and Agent Walker and I carried it out." Bryce was seeing a big promotion in his and Sarah's future.

"Agent Walker you went along with it?" questioned Mr. Smith.

"Yes Sir, but not until I expressed my doubts on conducting a mission without checking in first. Bryce was the AIC so I deferred to him on the matter. It was a sound plan and went off without a hitch."

"Director, is this information the same as you filed in your report to the DNI?"

"Yes Sir it is. I was very pleased at the job my agents did on that mission. I'd let them do the same thing again. We got some valuable Intel that will aide us in getting closer to Volkoff."

"CLOSER," boomed Mr. Smith "I'll tell you what your agents did. I had a man on the inside; he just got word that he was going to meet with Volkoff's number two next week. HIS. !" each word said louder driving home the point. The three people sitting at the table felt the color begin to drain from their faces. The situation that just moments before seemed promising was quickly circling the drain.

"He was working that op for over eight months. We may have been able to salvage the mission if you had merely captured him. Did you? Oh no, Larkin had to go and SHOOT his ass."

"Sir," Agent Walker interrupted, "He was going to kill me! Bryce stopped him from that."

"Agent Walker, if he wanted to kill you he would have. He was getting ready to, that's why he pulled your balaclava off. He likes to see his victims face before takes them down. When he saw your face he knew you were CIA. Graham, do you understand what havoc your agents caused?"

"Yes Sir I do." It had been a long time since Langston Graham had been dressed down like this. Two of his best agents had royally screwed the pooch. All he had left to wonder was how bad the fall out was going to be.

"Glad we understand each other. You have protocols for these things; this is just one of the reasons. Had you forwarded your idea for approval, my people would know. We could have stopped it. My agent will now have to figure another way to get to Volkoff."

"Sir, if I may?" Bryce spoke up for the first time. Seeing the small nod from Mr. Smith he continued on, "They never saw my face, I could break Miller out of detainment and get in with him that way. After a while I can bring Walker in as my girlfriend. We can go after Volkoff together."

"Larkin, give me some time to think about it. NO! I read your files after the fiasco you caused. You'd hang Walker out to dry if it got you props or saved your ass. I require team players, not over grown little kids who want to make a name for themselves. My people are the best, period. The agent you shot could walk up to Walker tomorrow, ask her out and take her to dinner and she would never know. He's that good. Graham this is what's going to happen. Walker and Larkin are on analyst duty for six months, you're relieved from duty for one month. Any questions?"

"Sir, six months is a long time to have my agents out of the game." Graham hoped he could talk some sense into Smith.

"Your agents blew eight months of undercover work; put my agent out of action for at least six months and you're complaining? You're nuts, just be glad I didn't pull their field agent status and sit them behind a desk until they quit or retired. You three get out of here, I'm done with you." And the screen went blank.

**Echo Park**

Ellie Bartowski was sitting on the couch after finishing her lunch. She was enjoying a few minutes of blissful silence that she rarely enjoyed at work. Life in a hospital can be rough, she thought. She let her thoughts drift to how well things in life were going right now. She had a great boyfriend in Devon and a great job. Chuck was doing fantastic compared to when he was younger. He was a handful, running away once when he was 16. He straightened out after that. He graduated with a degree from Stanford in engineering, moved to Houston to work with NASA and finally opening a small engineering company outside of Austin. Yep life was good. As she was drifting off to sleep, the sound of The Yellow Rose of Texas coming from her phone alerted Ellie that her brother Chuck was calling.

"Chuck, glad you called it' been a while."

"Sorry El, it's been crazy here the last couple months."

"I hear you. How did that big install you told me about go?"

"Not so good. We were almost done when some complications came up and the buyer decided to pull out. I got paid for the work already completed. When he gets solvent again he said he'll give me a call."

"Sorry to hear that. I know you were working very hard on that last job. At least they paid you for it."

"There is that I supposed. I did get some contacts for more work out of the deal. I have news I think you'll like."

"You got yourself a girlfriend!" Ellie exclaimed happily.

"No girlfriend El, at least not yet," Chuck said with a laugh. "With the money from the last job I have enough to expand. I'm gonna open a new office somewhere near…I don't know…Echo Park?" Chuck knowing what his sister's reaction would be held his phone away from his ear.

"You're coming home," Ellie practically screamed into the phone. "When will you get here?"

"Not for a month or so. I need to finish a few things up before I leave. I need you to do me favor as well. Look for a place I can get to put my office in. you know what I need."

"I'll take care of it. You'll stay with me until you find a place to live. I won't take no for an answer."

"Alright El, you got yourself a deal. I gotta run I have a meeting in a few minutes. Talk to you later, love you."

"Love you to Chuck and I'll see you soon."

As soon as she hung up the phone Ellie did a happy dance around the living room. He little brother was coming home again maybe this time for good. A sudden thought brought her out of her euphoric state. She need to let people know. Turning on the laptop Chuck had built for her she got to work, letting the important people know he was coming home.

Yep, for Ellie Bartowski life was good. Very good indeed!


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Thanks to all who reviewed. Same disclaimers as always.**

Chapter 3

**1997 Gaza Strip**

A young man barely in his teens ran through the streets at an incredible pace. His dark hair and tanned skin helped him blend in for the first couple weeks here. He was doing fine until he slipped up while talking to a vendor and complained about a bombing that Hamas claimed responsibility for. The vendor began screaming that he was an Israeli spy. He saw an alley that ran between the narrow houses and ducked inside. He flattened himself against the wall the best he could and watched as the angry vendor and a few close friends passed by the alley. Stepping away from the wall he continued his trek down the alley. Just as he was about to exit the alley a large hand grabbed his shoulder and another covered his mouth. He was pulled inside an arched doorway. He stared up at the man holding him, refusing to look away from the cold dark eyes that were staring back at him.

"You move with stealth young man. You have quickness and brains as well. But you are not welcome here. Don't worry. I will not harm you…yet," the man said through an Israeli accent. "Tell me boy, what brings you here?"

"I came here to visit my mom but I got lost. When I arrived where she was supposed to be she had left. I'm trying to find her. I need to get her out of here. I got this message, I don't understand most of it, but I have to get it to her."

"You tell me what it is and perhaps I can help you?" the innocence of youth the Israeli thought. "You can tell me or not. I can kill you whether you do or don't. Either way your mother never gets the message."

The boy pondered his options for a few minutes, and then told the man his message.

"Sadik Fahad, you say? What is your name boy?"

Remembering the advice from his dad, lie till they catch you, he replied, "Waytt, Waytt Earp."

"Waytt, we must leave now. I will help you but we must hurry. You can call me Mr. David."

They both left the alley and hurried through the streets. When they had traveled several blocks, the man jumped in a car and they drove off. Waytt had no idea where they were headed or how long they had been driving. The only thing he knew was when they arrived at the gates of a large compound, the man he was with got all kinds of respect. Days later Waytt found out that the information he gave to Mr. David, saved countless lives in Jerusalem. That was all it took for a young boy far from home to make a decision that would forever change his life. He would dedicate his life to helping people, no matter what the cost. When they tried to send him home, he argued that they owed him for all the lives he saved. He won. Months later when he was preparing to leave, Mr. David had on final thing to say, "From this time forward you will be known to us as Ghost. Welcome to Mossad."

He would return to his second home each year to continue his training or do some missions for them. At first his parents and sister were upset but they accepted his choice.

**September 2006**

The day Chuck had been waiting for almost three years had finally arrived. He pulled his Mustang into the spot reserved for his sister's guests. He grabbed his travel bag from the front seat and made his way to the front door of his sister's apartment. He wasn't even at the fountain before he heard the squeal of happiness and saw her door fly open. It only took a couple steps before he found himself embraced in a bone crushing hug. Devon followed right behind Ellie and hugged Chuck with far less force than his sister.

The rest of the night was spent going over the fun times they had in the past. When it was time to turn in for the night Ellie pulled Chuck off to the side. "Chuck, Morgan has been asking about you. When do you plan on calling him?"

"I plan on waiting a few days, until I get settled. We haven't been to close since last year."

"You only told me bits and pieces of what happened. Level with me Chuck. Was it bad enough to warrant throwing away a friendship you had since you were little?"

"El, I'm not to blame for this," Chuck said with a sigh. He took a deep breath to steady himself and began to explain, "About a year ago, right after the company took off, I was looking to increase my staff. I advertised in all the usual places, paper, internet you name it I placed an ad. Morgan found out and applied. I didn't hire him and he got pissed off. He doesn't have the qualifications for the position. If word got out that I passed over others for him, it could have ruined my business before it really got going."

"I see your point."

"I just wish he did. It could get worse when he finds out I'm opening an office here. What makes it worse is I offered to pay for his schooling so I could hire him. He went on his normal rant about brothers and life partners. I finally told him to shut up. After that day he stopped taking calls or answering my e-mails."

"Chuck, I know you. I know what you can do and what type of man you are, well most the time." Ellie added with a chuckle. "If he doesn't come to you, you'll just have to go to him. He still works at the Buy More. In a couple days when you get settled in the apartment, go see him."

"Thanks El, I really need that," he pulled Ellie into a warm hug. "Thanks again for finding me the apartment. I'm glad I'll be so close. We have a lot of lost time to make up for."

"Yeah we do. It was funny how Mr. Jones got that transfer out of state right after you decide to come back?" She looked at Chuck and raised her eyebrow.

"I guess so El," Chuck replied and shrugged his shoulders. "Night El."

"You to Chuck." They made their way to their respective bedrooms.

**CIA Headquarters**

Walker was sitting at her desk's pouring over the insane amount data that was in front of her. She learned two things from her partners FUBAR from months ago. First was never do a rogue operation. Get it approved, and then do the mission. Second was to never, ever make fun of the analysts again. She had new found respect for the people behind the scenes. It wasn't until she was literally in their shoes did she understand how import they were to her missions. She found a tiny bit of information buried in a pile of paperwork. Before she would have thought it was meaningless, but by passing that information on to the team's handlers they got the information. It saved their lives and earned her a commendation for her record.

Larkin was a different story. He was doing the required work, but planning his rise to glory at the same time. He was picking up bits of information on a group called Fulcrum. Not many details yet but they seemed to be very bad. He started planning his speech to Graham to let him go undercover into the rogue group to bring them down. If he could do that he could reclaim his status as Graham's Golden Boy. To more months and he could put his plan into motion.

The two agents that were going over the files on their desks never noticed the Director approach.

"Agent Walker, you have a visitor in the lobby. I have been asked to escort you to him." Sarah grabbed her purse and followed Graham as he took her to the lobby. As they approached the lobby Sarah noticed a tall man dressed in Navy summer whites. Above the rows of medals is a pair of gold aviator wings. As They closer she got she noticed his eyes, the same shade of blue as the sea on a clear day. Director Graham was the first to speak.

"Agent Sarah Walker, Captain Harmon Rabb. I'll leave you two now."

"Agent Walker, nice to meet you. I have a message from a friend."

"Please Captain, call me Sarah. What's the message?"

"Since he got shot, my friend's been watching you. Watch your back Sarah. Larkin's going to get you killed. Have a good day." With that he turned to leave.

"Captain wait! Why should I believe you?"

"It's your life, do what you want with it." With that he exited the building and faded from her view.

With the conversation over she headed back to her desk. On the way she was stopped Marie, one of the regular analysts.

"Agent Walker, was that Navy guy your boyfriend? He's great looking."

"Marie, he's not my boyfriend. His name was Captain Rabb and he had a message for me."

"It couldn't have been Captain Rabb; he's Force Judge Advocate Europe in London. I know him from when he worked here. That Agent Walker was not Captain Rabb."

"Thank you Marie, I have to tell the Director we may have a security breech." Sarah bolted down the hall towards the elevator to head up to Graham's office when she was hit by a bolt of lightning, or so she thought. A memory popped into her head so fast, as clear as the day she heard it. _The agent you shot could walk up to Walker tomorrow, ask her out and take her to dinner and she would never know._ In a daze she made her way back to her desk and let the events of the day run through her mind.


	4. Chapter 4

**AN1: same disclaimers as before. Thanks to all of you who review. If you have likes or dislikes let me know. I can't fix what I don't know is broke! Thanks again. The next chapters are already done and waiting to be posted. I'll give you guys a break on mine and post chapter 5 Sunday evening. That way you can catch up. Have a great weekend! BTW the review button is at the bottom, I like you input and any ideas will be welcome.**

**AN2: I sent this chapter to a good friend of mine SeaJay28 for a look over. She flat out asked me if I wrote this because it was not my usual style. I'm glad she opened my eyes. Starting from this chapter there will be detail. I believe it will make the story better. So SeaJay thanks. Also a word of thanks to another friend BDaddyDL. I noticed some places I should add some lines that improved the chapter as well.**

Chapter 4

**October 2006 **

**Echo Park**

Just over a week ago Chuck finished moving into his apartment across from his sister and boyfriend. He was glad he had Ellie helping him out with the decorating. He could barely pick out clothes that matched. So the disaster that would have been his apartment…well it wouldn't be pretty. Chuck converted the spare bedroom into his gaming room slash office. The rest of the apartment was painted in masculine colors and souvenirs from his trips were placed in various spots around the apartment. He was relaxing on the couch when the door opened and Ellie came in.

"Ellie, haven't you learned to knock?"

"Knock? Why? It's not like you have a girl in here or anything," that part was said with a frown. "Chuck, you need to find a girl."

"Tell me something I don't know. There is one girl, I only met her a few times but she seemed nice. A little high strung, but nice."

"The next time you see her ask her out. It's not that hard."

"El, you know how I get around women. The communication network between my brain and mouth ceases to function. Unless it's for business."

"Go for something simple then, like a cup of coffee. Once you break the ice, you'll be fine. So where does she work?"

"I'll give that a shot next time I see her. Now let's go see how my building is coming along."

Chuck led Ellie by the hand and they made their way through the courtyard towards his car. A short drive later they arrived at the new offices of ISA (Intelligence Support Associates) West. From the outside it appeared to be a normal building. There were no windows on the first floor. It was done in white decorative stone. The second and third floors were almost all windows, the blue/silver style in use on many newer buildings. What couldn't be seen was the foundation was actually extended by three feet. Behind the stone face was two and a half feet of re-enforced concrete, four inch steel plating and two inches of lead. The entrance was on the second floor. They made their way into the building. Chuck stopped dead in his tracks when he saw what the workers had gotten done in a small amount of time.

The transformation form empty warehouse to office building was startling. On the perimeter walls were the supervisor's offices. The walls between the offices were decorated with copies of arts great masters, Van Gogh, Monet, Degas and Renoir Moving in towards the center the typical office cubicles were installed. Not the normal beige color found in the regular office buildings. These were done in blues, yellows, greens and reds. When you looked down the aisles between cubes you could picture the colored blocks people played with as children. In the center was the break area. Walls were built around it to prevent the lunch time conversations from affecting the people still working.

"El, this is great! I'm stunned. You did a great job on this. Thank you so much!" Chuck pulled Ellie into a hug.

"Chuck, it wasn't me," she said with a chuckle. "It was Devon. He called a friend of his from UCLA who is an architect. His friend designed this and found the contractors to do the work."

"Remind me to thank Devon and his friend. I've seen the offices, let's go see the war room."

The war room was even more impressive then the offices. It was only half the size as the upper floors. This was done for two reasons. Then number of people working down here was smaller, and the second half would be the training areas and medical bay. In the war room they used the same design concept as the office floors. The offices were located on two of the outer walls. If you were standing at what would be considered the back of the room, the offices were on the left and right had sides. The front wall was home to the massive monitors that would be used to display data, and video feeds. The back wall, if could be called that, was the server room. Huge servers were inside the specially designed cooling rooms. In the center of the room ten computer work stations were residing. These desks would be used by the agents when planning operational missions. To say Chuck was impressed would be an understatement.

"So Chuck, does it meet your standards?"

"It'll do El," laughed Chuck. "Now that it's finished I need to get it staffed."

"I was wondering how you planned to fill all the positions."

"I'm going to bring some of the staff from Austin, hire a few people off the street for the third floor and poach a few people for the second floor and war room."

"Sounds like a good plan. When do intend to do your poaching?"

"I'll make a few calls to some people that owe me favors then fly back east in a few days."

"Would this girl you're interested in happen to be back east?"

"Ellie you are too smart for your own good. Let me make these calls and we can go to lunch."

**A few Days later CIA Headquarters**

**Director's office**

Graham was sitting at his desk wondering who he pissed off. He just received an e-mail from Mr. Smith telling him, not asking him, that an offer was going to be made to Agent Walker. She was going to be asked if she wanted to be partnered with a member of the Sentinels, the elite under cover unit of the DNI. Few knew that it even it existed. No one knew who they were or where they were located. They just existed. If she accepted she would no longer answer to him. One of his brightest agents was being taken away and he could do nothing but hope she said no. with a sigh he began making preparations for her departure. The final line worried him the most. Do not inform Agent Larkin.

**Sarah's desk**

"Man, this sucks. I can't wait for the next three weeks to get over. I'm tired of pushing papers. I need a mission," complained Bryce as he pushed some papers around his desk.

"Bryce it's not that bad. These people do a lot of things we didn't even know about. So cut out your whining and do some work."

"I have a plan for when we get out of this place and back in the field. I've been keeping track of a group called…"

"Called what Bryce?" questioned the Director. Again he had managed to sneak up on them while they were talking. "Walker, follow me."

Getting a questioning glace and giving a shrug in response, Sarah left her desk and went with Graham. He opened the door for her and she once again entered the secure room they had received their dressing down a few months ago. She heard the door shut and turned to see that Graham had not entered the room with her. Seated at the head of the table was a man in his middle fifties, slightly greying hair and with a thin build.

"Good afternoon Agent Walker, please take a seat," as he pointed to one of the chairs.

"Hello Sir, good afternoon to you as well."

"Let me introduce myself and explain why you are here. I'm Mr. Smith; we spoke a couple of months ago under less than pleasant circumstances." A nod of acknowledge from Sarah and he continued. "I'm here on behalf of one of my Agents with a proposition for you. Whatever we discuss in here stays in here, is that understood Agent Walker?"

"Yes Sir, perfectly."

"The world as you know is in a state of chaos. It's our job to keep this great country safe. I lead a group of special agents, the best in their fields. They work alone and the only contact they have is I and my staff. We are a small group but have a tremendous effect on what happens around us." Smith gets up and walks over to Sarah and places a sealed file on her desk.

"Before I tell you more I have a few questions for you. We work in conjunction with all the members of the intelligence community. If you take this position we are offering you, will this be a problem?"

"No Sir it won't"

"The agent you will be working with has a strict no seduction policy. He does expect you to flirt with the mark if it is need, but under no circumstances will he stand for his female agents sleeping with them. Will this be a problem for you?"

"No problem at all," Sarah felt like a boulder had just been lifted off her shoulders. The one aspect of her job she could never come to terms with was the need to sleep with a mark.

"My agent allows and encourages his people to date and have relationships. We know the CIA has some crazy saying that agents don't fall in love. Some nonsense about your partner being used against you. Is that correct?"

"That and they claim it makes us less effective," Sarah replied.

"You have been working as an analyst for a few months now. Who has more information that could hurt this country? Who has more information to offer? A field agent working on a big profile case or an analyst that has the information on as many as twenty operations at a time? The enemy if they wanted could snatch one of them at any time or their family at any time, yet they can marry and have kids. To us its nuts that agents can't. Is this ok with you?"

"Yes Sir it is."

"Walker I see you've avoided dating in the past, just so you know in this program we don't care who you date, as long as they're not our enemy. Remember Romeo and Juliette died."

"I'll keep that in mind if the subject ever comes up."

"Before I read you in on what will be required and the information on the Agent you will be working for, do you want this assignment."

"I would like to give this offer a try. I want to be able to leave if I find out in the future it is not for me."

"Sarah, we are not a conscript organization. We have had a number of agents from different agencies work with our people for a while and then return to their old employers," Growled Smith.

"Let's get me read in, Sir," Sarah was now beginning to smile a bit as she relaxed.

"You can now look in the file in front of you. It is as much information you are going to get for now on your new boss. When he feels the time is right he will reveal himself to you. When he does, keep in mind that he has never been seen by anyone who knows who he really is by anyone but me. He needs to work that way to be as effective as he can be. Take some time and look over the file. It will stay here when you leave."

"Well there is not much here so it shouldn't take too long."

Sarah opened the file before her and began to go over the information. The normal accolades were there of course. He was an expert in several forms of martial arts including Krav Maga. She noted with some satisfaction that despite being an expert with most weapons, he was rather weak when it came to the use of knives. There wasn't a lot about his past missions just that he always excelled and completed them successfully. The thing that caught her eye was the fact he never went to the farm. Instead he was trained by Mossad, code name, Ghost. _Wait, that can't be right. He was a myth, someone the instructors made up to impress the trainees. Sure there were rumors at the farm about a Ghost but nobody could find anything on him. What the hell did I get into? _When she finished she addressed Smith.

"When do I need to report in?"

"A man is here with all the information for you. Finish up what you have on your desk. He will pick you up in the lobby when your shift is over. Leave the file on your desk, you're dismissed."

"Thank you Mr. Smith. Have a good day."

Sarah made her way back to her desk, not quite sure of what to make of what had just taken place. She was now going to be working with a member of the Sentinels. They were the elite of covert operations. She was thrilled at that, but wondered where she would end up. _I'll probably end up in some backwoods country devoid of any type of amenities. I've been there before so it's gonna be ok, I hope._

She didn't even get a chance to sit down before Bryce was all over her.

"We'll what did Graham want? You were gone for a pretty long time. When are we getting back in the field?"

"Bryce, I have a new assignment. I leave today. You have to finish out your time here I suppose." She began putting her papers into the correct folders. She didn't want the next person to fix her mess.

"What do you mean you? We're partners for heaven's sake!"

"We stopped being partners when you got me benched. I still can't figure out why I listened to you in the first place."

"We went over that already, you agreed to it! It wasn't my fault." Bryce's voice was now starting to draw attention.

"That was a mistake I will never make again. Do yourself a favor Bryce, grow up and play by the rules. It will be better for you in the long run. I need to leave; my contact is waiting for me in the lobby."

"What about us? How will I find you between missions?"

"Bryce there is no us. What we have or had was fun but would never lead anywhere. We both knew that. Just let it go Bryce."

"This is bull shit! I'm going to talk to Graham convince him to let me join you." Bryce left his desk and headed to Grahams office.

_Good luck with that she thought. Well time to go. All in all it wasn't too bad here._ She made her way out of the area she had called home for the last few months stopping to say goodbye to several analysts she had been friendly with. Getting on the elevator for what she hoped would be the last time for a while she hit the L button ready to start a new and hopefully exciting part of her life.

The lobby was almost empty for the time of day it was. Most of the people milling around she had seen before. One man stood out from the rest. He was tall, with short hair combed to one side. She held back a laugh as she took in how he was dressed. He was wearing a pair of well-worn chucks jeans and a shirt that had a goofy looking furry animal on it. _He must be here for one on the analysts she thought._ She continued to scan the lobby looking for her contact. The man began walking towards her with his hand held out.

"Agent Walker, I'm here to pick you up. I'm your contact Chuck Bartowski," giving her a large smile as he extended his hand.

"Nice to meet you, please call me Sarah."


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: same disclaimers. Thanks to all that reviewed. Enjoy.**

Chapter 5

They made their way towards the parking lot chatting about when she had to report and when. When they got to Sarah's Porsche she stopped.

"Well this is me. Will you call me with the final details?"

"I'll ring you later tonight with the all the information you'll need."

"I look forward to it. See you later Chuck."

"Um ok, l…can I ask you a question?"

"Sure"

"Would you like to go get a cup of coffee with me? On a personal level I mean not a business one?"

"I think I would. Until today I would have had to decline your offer because of the rules I had to follow. Now it seems I'm not bound by the same rules as before."

"Yes? I mean good." Chuck glanced at his watch and frowned.

"What's wrong Chuck?" inquired Sarah.

"I just noticed the time; would you like to make it a dinner date instead? I'm sorry for being so forward, it's just when I get near beautiful women my brain forgets to control my mouth."

"I could go for some dinner. Do you want to pick me up or should I meet you there?"

"You pick the place and I'll meet you there at seven."

"See you at seven Chuck, it's a date." Sarah got into her car and pulled out of the parking lot.

Over the next couple weeks Sarah was busy packing her place up and moving things into storage. Chuck convinced her that she would need to waste money on a place near DC when she would not be coming back as much as she used to while working with the CIA. Chuck was a big help in getting ready to move. She also had to clear Langley and go through the normal process anyone leaving would. She had a few more dinners with Chuck and they even took in a movie. At one point they discussed Sarah's car. Should she drive or have it shipped. The final decision was to take a nice scenic drive across country and see some of the sights that neither one had the chance to see. They would arrive back in Echo Park a few weeks before Thanksgiving.

The same time Sarah was getting ready to leave, Bryce was planning his next move. He had been gathering more and more information on Fulcrum as it passed by his desk. He also borrowed some from other analysts. When he had enough information to go on he made his moved. He convinced Graham that the mistake he made was done on purpose. He needed to discredit himself inside the agency so he could go rogue and take done Fulcrum from the inside. Graham reluctantly agreed and sent him off to do his thing declaring him rogue. Bryce Larkin was getting back in the game and in a big way. He planted evidence where ever he could in the CIA data base that would help with his cover. He knew once he brought Fulcrum down Sarah walker would be his again.

**November 2006**

When Chuck and Sarah finally arrived at the apartment complex Chuck explained to Sarah some things about his sister.

"Sarah, I need to warn you Ellie can get a bit emotional at times. Just watch out for the Ellie joy."

"I'll be fine Chuck trust me."

"Ok, but it's your ribs that will suffer not mine," this was said with a knowing smile. He knocked on the door and proceeded to go in. Without knowing it they had interlaced their hands as they entered the apartment. Ellie was just finishing up the dishes when she heard her brother call out her name.

"Just a sec Chuck, I'll be out in a second."

"Take your time El we're not in a hurry."

Picking up the 'we're' in Chucks answer all else was forgotten. She dropped the towel she was using and rushed to the living room. The sight that greeted her was one she had hoped for the longest time. Not only was her baby brother holding hands with a girl but she was beautiful. Chuck had given her pretty good description over the phone but it was nothing liking seeing Sarah in person. Before Chuck could speak Ellie already was.

"Ellie Bartowski, pleased to meet you…?" asked Ellie.

"Sarah Walker, Chucks Girlfriend." No sooner were the words out of her mouth than a loud crash and thump could be heard. Both women turned to look at the sound and saw chuck lying on his back with a table lamp on his chest and a goofy smile on his face. Ellie turned to look at Sarah who just rolled her eyes and bent to help him up. At the sound of the crash Devon came running in from the bed room a towel wrapped around his waist.

"I guess you didn't talk the girlfriend angle over with him did you?" asked Ellie.

"To be honest I haven't had many relationships in the past. I figured that going out to dinner every night and driving across country with him fit the description. Guess I should have warned him huh?"

"Yup."

"Chuckster, you ok bro?" asked Devon as he helped Chuck up.

"Yeah, I think so. Devon I'd like you to meet Sarah, my girlfriend. Could you please put some clothes on? That was one sight I'd rather not see again."

After the pleasantries were finished Sarah tried to excuse herself to find a hotel to stay at until she could find an apartment. That went over like a lead balloon with Ellie. She flat out refused to let her brothers girlfriend stay at a hotel when there was perfectly good room at her place. Chuck and Devon both knew better and stayed out of the fray. It wasn't long before a sour faced Sarah Walker was putting her bags in the guest room. As she told Chuck later that night, she hated to lose.

The next morning after breakfast Chuck Sarah and Ellie went to ISA to get Sarah processed in and let her get accustomed to her new place of work. As they made their way to the entrance to the war room, they passed several people Sarah recognized from her stint at headquarters. She noted that there seemed to be more talking going here that back at Langley. Chuck explained that the happier the people the better they work. When they finally got to the war room, Sarah's jaw almost hit the ground. She was standing in the middle of the most advanced technology center she has ever seen. Techs were going through data on screens as large as fifty two inches. The armory was second to none on the types of weapons. Unlike the armories she was used to this one had the best weapons from most friendly countries, and some that were not. There was also a small but fully functional medical room, small arms range, holding cells and a gym. They entered a small room along the side wall. It was small but comfortable, containing a couch and a few chairs.

"Sarah, Welcome to the big time." Said Chuck as he stretched out on the couch.

"This is damned impressive. I do have a few questions for you. First, how does Ellie fit to this? Two, what is our main focus, and three, this one is personal. Are you sure our boss won't mind us dating?"

"Chuck, you big dolt." Ellie snapped at Chuck. "I'll take it from here, you messed it up enough already. My brother was supposed to have explained all that."

"El, in my defense, you know my brain fails to work when around beautiful women. So being around Sarah all the time I had more important things on my mind."

"Point taken. As I was saying. I'm here because I'm the on call surgeon. If one of ours gets injured I come in. We have medical teams on standby. They have vetted by us so they are ok. Most of the medical teams are NSA personnel. They are mostly former active duty military so it was easier for them to come on board. As for your third question it seems my brilliant brother neglected to tell you he runs this place. Agent Walker, you are dating the boss."

"Ellie," Chuck hissed. "It's not time yet!"

"Hush little brother. It's past time. You two are perfect for each other." Ellie said with a smirk as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Wait, wait one minute. You're trying to tell me that you Chuck Bartowski are the Ghost?"

"I wasn't trying to tell you anything, Ellie was."

"Very funny guys, put one over on the rookie. Well you know what? I don't believe you," Sarah huffed.

Chuck pondered the situation for a few minutes. I felt he could trust Sarah but a part of it stirred thoughts in the back of his mind. He decided to throw caution to the wind. He sat back and in the same voice he used weeks ago "Since he got shot, my friend's been watching you. Watch your back Sarah. Larkin's going to get you killed. Have a good day." He decided to add. "I can show you the scar from where Larkin shot me."

"I need a minute to take this all in." her face growing pale as she leaned back in her chair.

Sarah was gob smacked. Everything she believed she knew about being an agent had just been torn apart and scattered to the four winds. She was dating an elite agent that only three people could identify. He was normal, except for the falling over and failure to engage brain before speaking problem he sometimes had. His sister knew for the love of Pete. She started to wonder what else her pal Graham and his cronies' spouted that was utter nonsense.

"Chuck, I think I broke her," Ellie remarked going over to check her.

"I think you may be right."

"She didn't break me. Shocked the hell out me maybe." Chuck raised an eyebrow. "Ok, definitely shocked the hell out of me."

"Now that you know the truth about me, are you still my girlfriend?"

"What kind of stupid question is that? Of course I am. Ellie you're right he is an idiot some times."

Ellie nodded her head in agreement and uttered a quiet, "yup."

"Idiot sitting right here you know." With that both girls started laughing. "Wait that didn't come out right. No fair picking on me!" The tension finally broken all three laughed.

"Ellie I think that's information for one day. Tomorrow I'll fill Sarah in on the other stuff. Why don't the three of us go get some lunch and find Sarah a place to live." Chuck got up and made his was almost to the door when Ellie spoke out.

"Sarah, you can't say anything to Devon about this. All he knows is I am a surgeon and Chuck sells security systems. That part is the truth; it's this part we don't want him to find out about. I wouldn't have told you if you weren't an agent."

"You have my word I won't tell Devon. Now let's go eat."

As they were leaving Chuck told Sarah there was lot more going on then they talked about but he would explain it as time went on.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**Few days later**

The previous day Sarah found an apartment that she liked. Not as spacious as the one Chuck had but it was comfortable and within her price range. It had a large living area, a small dining area and small kitchen. The bed room was big enough to hold her bed and dresser when it arrived. Once the apartment was picked out Chuck made some calls and arranged for her furniture to be shipped from storage. He said the NSA owed him a few favors and they would be glad to do it. It would take around a week for her stuff to arrive so she continued to stay with Ellie and Devon.

There had been some tension over the last couple days as well. Ellie kept asking Chuck when he was going to go meet Morgan. Chuck kept saying it wasn't time yet. Sarah finally got tired of the constant bickering between the siblings and took matters into her own hands. When Chuck wasn't around Sarah asked Ellie what the big deal was. Ellie explained what happened; when she was done they worked together on a plan to get Chuck to talk to Morgan. Chuck being completely clueless about the entire thing thought nothing of the fact as they headed out to buy Sarah a HDTV. It wasn't until they pulled into the Buy More parking lot that Chuck began to sense a rat.

"The Buy More Sarah?" asked Chuck.

"Ellie said they have a good selection at reasonable prices. Plus you can have them install it. They have a Nerd Herd, or something like it."

"So…you and Ellie got together and this is what you came up with to get me to talk to Morgan? He might not be working today."

"No, he is. We checked. Now get your ass in gear, I need a TV." Chuck had faced down terrorists and other agents in life or death struggles, but the thought of his girlfriend and sister working together scared the life out of him.

Looping her arm in his, she led him into the store. At one point she thought he was gonna bolt like a frightened colt. She found this rather amusing. He was an elite agent and he was getting ready to run to avoid a talk with a friend. She drifted deeper in thought as they walked towards the store. She knew she had been feeling relaxed the past couple months but could not figure out why. Well now she knew. It was Chuck. He had this clam composed attitude, yet still had fun. He embraced things she had long forgotten about. His love of these things started to spread to her and she absorbed them like a sponge. She vaguely heard her name being called.

"Sarah, something wrong?"

"No Chuck, why do you ask?"

"I've been saying your name for like two minutes and all you did was look straight ahead."

"I was just reflecting on the last few months, in a good way, so don't worry."

"Let's get this over with. By the way you two are evil." Sarah just chuckles and pulls him towards the Nerd Herd desk. When they arrived Sarah saw Morgan, or a man who fit the description of Morgan, in a debate with two other men. The first was pale and looked like he stuck his finger in a light socket. The other was darker skinned and greasy haired. Both men gave her an uneasy feeling, not one of fear, one of disgust.

"Hey Morgan, long time buddy." Chuck extends his hand towards Morgan.

"Chuck, yeah it has been."

"Is there somewhere we can talk?" A sudden pain in his side tells him he has just made a grievous error. He failed to introduce his girlfriend. "Morgan, this lovely lady is Sarah, my girlfriend."

"Nice to meet you Sarah. We can use the ass man's office." A short walk later they were in the office seated around a cluttered desk.

Chuck started off, "let's cut the bull shit out Morgan. This attitude is just childish. Why can't you accept that you were not qualified for any of the positions I had open?"

"That isn't the point Chuck; I've been your friend since we were kids. That should mean I get a break. Haven't you heard of nepotism before?"

"That can only get you so far in life Morgan. I offered to pay for you to go back to school to get the degree you needed. You turned me down. Second why would I want to hire a person who time and time again brags that he has mad work avoidance skills? My people work hard at what they do; I can't have somebody that goofs off." Sarah could sense that Chuck was getting angry so she placed a comforting hand on his leg.

"There has to be some job I can do for you. Ellie told me a while back you were coming home to open a new branch. There has to be a job I can be trained for. I'm pretty good with computers despite not having a degree."

"There isn't Morgan. My people are highly trained as well as motivated. You are neither, but you could be. Take me up on the offer to go to school and I can hook you up. If not there is no way I can do it. The risks are just too high."

Sarah seeing this was going nowhere decided to chime in. "Morgan can you give Chuck and I minute alone please?

"I'd be glad to." And he stepped out of the office. When he had closed the door Sarah began speaking.

"Chuck I don't see what the big deal is. Put him on the third floor and let him make calls. What could it hurt?"

"Trust me, a lot. It's not just his lack of schooling it's him. He doesn't know what we do. Curiosity would get the better of him. Morgan would begin poking around trying to find out where I work in the building. He'd start looking on computers or through desks. He has very little regard for personal space. I can't let that happen."

"I can see where that would be a problem. Don't you have any installer positions he could fill? Just do installs where he meets our team at the site. That way he would never have to come to the ISA."

"Sarah that might work. But he has to go to school. When he enrolls in school, I'll hire him on with conditions. I'll talk to him later about those. We need to finish this up before we get your stuff." Chuck got Morgan from outside and brought him back in.

"Morgan, Sarah has in idea I can live with. I will hire you as an installer. You meet the team at the install site and help with the install. Before I hire you, you will need to enroll in school and begin working on your degree. The wage will be a bit more than you make here. When you get your degree I will pay you accordingly."

"Sorry Chuck, I can make the same money installing cable in people's homes. I was really hoping for an inside job that paid well. Something like writing programs or debugging them. You know I hate work and you want me to bust my ass every day? I'll stay here thank you very much."

Morgan figured that if he pushed hard enough he could get Sarah to see his logic; she would convince Chuck to hire him. What he didn't know was she was a spy. This had it advantages. She saw right through what he was trying to do. Knowing this caused Sarah to see red. She got to her feet and walked over to Morgan and stood right in front of him.

Glaring daggers at him she spoke in a voice as cold as ice, "I can't believe you Morgan, you claim Chuck is your best friend and you try pulling something like this? To make it worse, you tried using me to get what you want. Chuck's right, you're not qualified for anything we have to offer. So stay here with the freak show I saw when I first came in. Why you want to throw away a friendship like this one was is beyond me. You should be kissing his ass for trying to get you out of here. Chuck was right, you are under motivated and would never fit in with any of the teams. Come on Chuck let's get out of here."

"Sorry Morgan you heard the lady. If you ever decide to grow up and join the real world call me. If you want to get together for a night of gamming, call me. Have a good afternoon." That said Chuck and Sarah got up and left a stunned Morgan behind. All Morgan could do is wonder where the guy went that he used to be able to twist around his little finger in the name of friendship.

While they were making their way to the exit they were approached but the two freaks as Sarah called them. They walked up to the couple and completely ignored Chuck.

"Hello pretty lady. I'm Lester and this is my friend Jeff. Between the two of us I'm sure we have something you will like." That's when he made his mistake. He put his hand on Sarah's arm to lead her away from Chuck. Before Lester knew what happened he felt his arm behind his back and his face hitting the floor. There was an angry blonde hissing in his ear, her knee in his back.

Sarah was still in a rage after the talk with Morgan. The second Lester touched her arm she snapped. All the years of training kicked in. She grabbed his wrist and twisted it forcing it behind his back; she jammed her knee into the back of his and leaned forward forcing him face first onto the floor. "Listen greasy, and tell this to light socket as well. When I come in here again, if you come within ten feet of me I will geld you. Nod if you understand me." Lester nodded his head. Sarah stood up and pulled Chuck from the store.

On the way to the car Sarah made a remark that made chuck laugh. "I know Morgan is your friend but he belongs with that freak show."

"Greasy and light socket? How did you get those names? You know what. Never mind. Let's go to the Large Mart and get your TV."

The audio visual part of the day was done. In the end Sarah ended up with a Toshiba fifty two inch plasma TV and surround sound system. Chuck installed it as soon as it was delivered. What neither of them knew was they were both thinking the same thing. This will look good when we move in together. They both knew it was too early for that but it couldn't hurt to dream.

**Same approximate time frame**

Over the course of the last few weeks Bryce had made some connections with Fulcrum. His handler was part of the rogue spy group he just didn't tell Bryce. He wanted to see if Bryce was for real or just under cover. He set Bryce up with a very low level Fulcrum agent. The Agent would be giving him a mission to make his bones with Fulcrum. The meeting went well. Bryce was given a kill order on an agent that decided to leave Fulcrum with some information and turn in to the CIA. He didn't like the idea of killing one of the good guys, yet he understood that a few lives would be lost to protect the greater good. Bryce carried out the order in a quick effective manner and dropped the man in a local river. The local police called it mugging gone bad and were in the process of investigating the local criminals. Bryce carried out a few more missions for Fulcrum. Most of them involved gathering information from the CIA or NSA by hacking into the less secure data bases. Fulcrum wanted to see who they could pressure into joining them. He was moving up the ladder just like he expected.

**Rome Italy**

Alexi Volkoff's number one enforcer and overall number two in his company was sitting at a public computer drinking a black coffee. There were not many times she found herself alone. It was her choice for it to be that way. Alexi had fallen in love with her a long time ago and loved spending time with her. In order to not rock the boat she played the girlfriend bit to the hilt, minus the sleeping with him part. She could in fact leave and go where ever she wanted when she wanted to. Alexi was a very jealous man so to keep him from getting suspicious she stayed close. Today she was in Italy on a mission for Volkoff. He found out one of his lower arms dealers was skimming funds off the top. So he sent his best person in to remove the man from his position, permanently. She logged in to her public e-mail account, Frost Queen at… and pulled up her e-mail. The first one was from Frost princess. It said that the planned install went south because of interruptions.

The second was slightly longer, it too was from the Frost Princess. New install in the works for some time in the spring. This time it will be a go. Installer has a new partner that has been a long time coming. Frost looked at the screen with teary eyes. It's about damn time she thought. The third one was from, Hunter in the sky. Full support expected for new install in spring. It may get complicated there is a bug in the system. Typing off her replies she signed off the computer and headed to the airport to catch her flight to Moscow.

**USA hidden location**

Orion was reclining on his couch when his computer chimed alerting him that one of the e-mail accounts he was monitoring had been accessed. Frost Queen sent the same reply to both parties. I will exterminate bugs in room on my end. Install needs to happen without any more delays. The company was very upset that last install was canceled. We may lose his business if install does not happen.

He closed out the program and began surfing the data CIA data banks. He found what he expected. Bryce Larkin was seeking fame and fortune at his family's expense. From what he could see Larkin had done a good job so far, maybe too good. If he failed in what he was planning he was in deep shit. His trail was so good that he would have a hard time convincing anyone he was not a rogue Agent. Orion knew what happened to Graham when Larkin and Walker screwed the pooch months ago. There was no way Graham would accept any blame this time. Bryce Larkin didn't know it but he was one step from being a dead man walking.


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: same old disclaimer own nothing not gonna make a cent. Thanks for those that reviewed. Please see AN2 at the bottom. More big reveals and more of Chuck's past. Now please start reading!**

Chapter 7

The rest of the month passed without much fanfare. Mission wise it was flat out boring for all concerned. Most of the agents that worked for Chuck were out on missions that would conclude within the next couple of weeks. The ones that had completed their missions were on desk duty. Chuck was a firm believer that after a mission, no matter how long, his people needed time off to relax and decompress. He even arranged counseling for those agents that felt they needed it. This again surprised Sarah. While she was actively working for the CIA she was often sent back in the field without a decent break. The more she witnessed Chuck's operation, the more she understood why his group had such a high success rate. She also found that the agents that worked for Chuck were still with their respective agencies. They may get their Intel from Chuck's group, but the missions they went on were given to them by their agencies. In essence Chuck was their handler.

The relationship was going well. With both of them pretty new to the relationship business they were taking it slow. They got together a few times each week for dates but gave each other time off the majority of nights. Neither of them really minded after all they did see each other at work. Another thing that was bringing them closer together was the training they did together. They would go on morning runs with each other for their cardio. They would spend time in the gym lifting weights and some days they would go to the dojo and practice their hand to hand skills on each other. During their sparing sessions no quarter was given or received, but Sarah knew that chuck was holding back. Despite her desire to win, she looked at for what it was, a chance to improve her skills. Every couple weeks they would head down to twenty nine palms to work on their sniper skills.

One big development happened when Morgan called to play Call of Duty. They had fun and some of the tension from before was eased. Chuck knew their friendship would never be the same, he was just glad to have his friend back in some form. The holiday went well for all parties. Ellie invited Morgan and he accepted.

**December 2006**

With the lack of missions Chuck decided to let Sarah in on a few more of his secrets. There were only four people in the world that had access to this information and none worked for a three letter agency. Chuck and Sarah went into his personal office. It was the largest of all the offices and was complete with a gaming consol. Once they got comfortable Chuck began filling her in.

"I'm sure you're wondering why we have such a big server room."

"It does seem quite massive for the number of computers we have in the building."

"In a normal office that would be true. Have you ever heard of the intersect project?"

"Just some rumors, but nothing concrete, what is it?"

"After nine eleven the intelligence community tried to come up with a way for all agencies to share any information they had. On paper it looked good. There was a problem with the idea. They failed to take into account the human factor. The Directors of each agency began to withhold information wanting to remain on top. They each wanted their ace in the hole so to speak."

While Chuck was speaking he called up a diagram on his computer and put it on the monitor on the wall. It was shaped like a spoke wheel. In the center there was a picture of a computer. Around the computer were other computers. Each of the outer computers was connected to the one in the middle.

"This is how the Intersect was supposed to work with each agency having access to all the data. Each agency would input their data into the mainframe or Intersect. That would allow the other agencies access to that data. When that didn't happen the Sentinels got involved for our own sake. We created a pipeline to the data each agency had. Every time data is inputted we get it. We have a program that filters out overlapping information. It saves room on our servers. We have all the Intel this country has at our finger tips. This is the only true intersect." Chuck reached for the drink on his desk and took a long pull from the glass. This gave Sarah a chance to ask some questions.

"That's why we have so many analysts up stairs. They sift through all the new data and put the information into a workable form. If I may say, that is amazing."

"It is. There is more. Right now the NSA and CIA are trying to build their own version of the Intersect. The CIA has other plans for the intersect however. Have you heard of project Omaha?"

"I was on the project. When the project got mothballed I got partnered with Bryce. I'm still not sure what the end result was supposed to be," stated Sarah.

"While the NSA the uses the computer to find clues in the data and extrapolate the data and pass on that information to the agents. The CIA is taking a different approach. The want to put the intersect into a field agent. That way the agent would have all the information with them. That's what project Omaha was about. The CIA planted an agent in several collages around the country. One was at Stanford, Professor Fleming. They gave all the students in Professor Flemings' class a test. It was designed to test a persons' ability for subliminal image retention."

"Chuck is that even possible? And if it is why did they mothball the project?" questioned Sarah.

"It is. It was mothballed because they couldn't find a suitable candidate. When I was at Sanford I graduated a year early. My "_senior year"_" Chuck used air quotes as he said it, "was my cover for an operation I was working on. Smith got word of the program during my actual senior year and kept me there to monitor the progress. I was roommates and friends with Bryce."

"Bryce Larkin, my old partner was your roommate?"

"Yeah he was. He found out what my test score was and thought he could protect me from being recruited by the CIA. He didn't think I was agent material. He didn't know I was already in the Sentinels by then. He planted evidence in my room that proved I cheated on the test and got my score thrown out. He then proceeded to break me and my girlfriend Jill up by sleeping with her. That gave me the perfect excuse to leave town with my head hung in shame, in that way it worked out."

"So Bryce screwed you over to protect you? I can understand his motivation, even if I don't agree with it. I know when I first met you I didn't think you were an agent, let alone an elite one," Sarah explained.

"If that was the only reason it would be. Bryce had other motivations for doing it. He was borderline acceptable. He figured by getting rid of me, he would take my place. You were going to be his partner. He was looking for fame and glory like when he suckered you into the ill-fated mission. He needs accolades and will step on anyone in his way."

The more she heard about Bryce the madder she got. She couldn't help but blurt out, "That self-centered son of a bitch. He got me benched because he wanted to make a name for himself. Next time I see him I'm gonna kick his ass."

"You get to him first. I plan on killing him. Back on subject. They had a candidate, me. My scores were above what were needed. I would have been your partner if they got it working. Without me they scrubbed the project. Now comes a bit of history. I'll make a long story short. Before I was born my dad was part of the original project. It was designed to input a personality into an agent for missions. The CIA believed it would make the agents cover better. The plan went pear shaped when a colleague of my father's tested it on himself before it was fully checked out. He became Alexi Volkoff. It took my dad years to figure out who Volkoff really was." Chuck again paused to take a drink and stretch his legs.

"Wait," exclaimed Sarah. "The most powerful arms dealer in the world was created by the CIA?"

"That's correct. When I was about eight, I snuck into my dad's office and downloaded an early version of the Intersect by accident. It was around this time the CIA figured out that they had created one of the most vicious criminals in the world. They went after my father thinking it was his fault. My dad left to protect Ellie and me. He keeps in touch even though the CIA is looking for him. He kept working on the project, refining and improving it as technology got better. After I became a Mossad agent he began sending me updates to his program. With Ellie's help we got the bugs out of the program. That's another reason we weed out the duplicate files. Uploading the Intersect into agents works, Sarah, I have all the governments intelligence data in my head, I'm the human intersect."

This was just a bit much for Sarah to handle. Hers eyes rolled back in her head and it took everything she had to keep from passing out. "You're the Human intersect? How is that even possible?"

"Yes I am. I just used the thing; I don't worry about the details. That is for Ellie and Orion, my dad to work out. That is how I knew you were CIA when you busted up my card game. Certain things will access the data. It could be a name, face, scar, voice or a tattoo. We call it a flash when I see the data. It distracts me for about a second. That's why Larkin could get the shot off."

"OK Chuck, prove it."

"What do mean prove it?"

"You have to understand that was a lot to take in. I need to see how it works."

"That's a tough thing to do." Chuck mulled some ideas around before he spoke again. "Your last mission with Bryce, the one you dropped to shoot me, what was the name of the guy you were after?"

"Pierre Marquis." Chuck's eyelid's twitched and one eyebrow rose slightly and he began to speak.

"Born in France. Graduated from UCLA, has connections to a terror cell in France. Claimed responsibility for the bombings of the French rail system in 2004. Wanted by Interpol on murder charges. There is more but that should do."

"Damn." Sarah was stunned. The implications of what the human intersect could do was staggering.

"Chuck, just how much do you know about me?" she was getting nervous. After a second she relaxed. Even if he did know all her sordid details, he still asked to go out with her. She already knew Chuck was special, now she knew exactly how special he is.

"Pretty much everything that's in the CIA data base. Don't worry I can stop a flash when I have the information I need. I have been using the Intersect for a long time. I learned to control it a year or so ago. I stopped when I saw you are with the CIA. So don't worry about that. I figure when you're ready you'll tell me."

"Thank you for that. In time I'll tell you, I'm just ready yet."

"No problem. One last thing, the CIA is looking for my dad. Our cover is we don't know where he is."

"Works for me. Why don't we take a break and go to lunch. I really am hungry."

"I could go for some food. Besides you have the basics of what we do here. The rest I'll fill in when it comes up. Let's go eat."

They grabbed a couple of sandwiches at a local deli and went to a park to eat. It was nice to get out of the office for a change. The time away from the office gave Sarah a much needed break. She was still trying to wrap her head around everything Chuck had told her. She was pretty much in awe with Chuck and how he handled the fact he was the human intersect. He was so nonchalant about it. She wasn't sure how she would act if she had the same responsibility he did. They cruised around the park for a few minutes before heading back.

They returned to the war room and headed in the direction of Chuck's office when a light mounted on one of the monitors began to blink. Sarah was going to witness her first mission request call. Several things began to happen at once. Agents that been sitting at their usual desks got up and moved around switching seats. The ones that didn't sit back down left the room. While this was happening Chuck turned to Sarah and said, "Beckman's calling in."

"Physic now as well," as she raised an eyebrow.

"I'll explain after the call." He nodded to an agent who accepted the call. The General appeared on the monitor, "Good afternoon Ma'am."

"Afternoon Chuck, I have an urgent mission. One of my agents has gone missing. Major Casey was getting ready to move in on an Al-Qaida cell in Pakistan. We lost his team's signal half an hour ago. Those Bastards don't play games. Pick out my agents and put together a team to get his team out."

"Roger that Ma'am. Have transportation waiting at LAX. Send me all the information you have, last know grid co-ordinates and the locaters frequency. The team will be there within 2 hours. The plane must be able to be refueled in flight and have two flight crews on board. We don't want to waste time getting there."

"Thank you Chuck, tell my team happy hunting. Beckman out." The screen went black the moment she ended the call.

"Chuck would you please explain what just happened. Quite frankly I'm a bit confused," said Sarah. Chuck led her into his office before explaining.

"Sure. I told you I would explain as we went along. The three large monitors are for the CIA, NSA and FBI. The two smaller ones on the side are for Home Land Security and the DEA. For some reason none of the agencies trust the other agencies agents to do their job. Depending on whom calls in the agents in view are from that agency. The NSA agents filled in those seats because it was Beckman. The agency heads think I'm their agents' handlers. We know different."

"Seems weird to me but if that's how they play I'll understand."

"If Graham calls in you will need to sit at one of the desks as well. Normally the Directors will ask for the agent they want to handle the mission and I make it happen. If they tell me to put a team together, they want the Ghost. None of them know his name or who his boss is. They think I'm his handler. They call me to get in contact with him. One of the reasons I work from home a lot is to avoid suspicion. Before you became my partner I was never here. Granted I only spend a couple of hours a day here so they don't miss me when I'm gone."

"So I'm your partner now?" Sarah was positively giddy with excitement. She was going to be working on a mission with the Ghost. What a huge step up from the rat bastard Larkin.

"On most missions yes. There will still be some I need to do alone. Not that I don't think you can do the job, sometimes it's better if I go alone."

"Fair is fair I suppose. So when do we leave?"

"As soon as I get all the information and let Ellie know. I'd say about half an hour."

True to his word they left in half an hour and headed to the airport. All they had to do was wait until they were ready to jump. They both knew it was gonna be a long flight.

**AN2: **this is to clear up any confusion that my use of handlers may have caused. There are two types of handlers. One is like Sarah and Casey. They work with someone not in an agency, like Chuck. The other is one that works with an agent. Agents need to report in and get assignments. They get this information back and forth through a handler. Handlers will set up meet locations, safe houses plus other things. I hope this cleared up any confusion I might have caused.


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: Same disclaimers as always. The action pick up in this one. There are two missions our hero's will be doing, the first one is serious, and the second fits in but was done for laughs. Thanks for all the reviews you guys have been amazing. Sorry about the delay I'm driving from Texas to the north east. Enjoy!**

Chapter 8

As expected the flight was long and boring. It would have been worse had the General not arranged for the seats that were added to the C-17 they were flying in. Chuck went over the plans for the rescue attempt. It was a simple plan in reality. Land in Kabul, switch planes after getting into their mission gear and arranging the extraction, HALO in to the last know location, head to the co-ordinates the General gave them of the suspected Al-Qaida cell, get the team out and get extracted. Chuck explained to Sarah that the most important part of the mission was how he departed the area after the extraction. Switching planes in Kabul after a decent delay, waiting for darkness, would hide who was going in. When they entered the new plane they would be masked. After they were extracted they would need to cover their tracks. Chuck had the plans in place but would keep them secret for the time being. Sarah was alright with the idea. It was her first mission with Chuck.

Almost thirty hours after wheels up in LAX the rescue mission started. They grabbed their mission bags and waited for the signal to jump. When the Jump Master gave them the ok they exited the plane. The jump was a success going off without a hitch. Once they gathered their chutes and mission bags they began the trek to the suspected terrorist cell. The cell was located just over the Afghanistan border in Pakistan.

"So far so good," began Chuck. "I'm going to do some things solo tonight. It's not that I doubt your skills, I'm just used to working solo. It will take me a while to get used to the idea of working with a partner."

"I can understand that. How much farther is it?"

"Just under two clicks. If the information is correct that is. Give me a review of the plan."

"After we arrive, we do a recon of the area. You will take out the guards. We go in and rescue the team. Call for extraction. Then you fill me in on what happens next."

"That's the nuts and bolts of it. Our fun starts after we get them out, I always like the escapes I come up with."

"You're nuts Chuck."

"So I have been told many times by Ellie."

They talked about a few non mission things as they made their way to the location. Finally they got in the general area and began to really get into mission mode. Sarah was surprised how quick Chuck changed. He was a completely different person. She was witnessing the Ghost for the first time. It was an impressive sight.

"There is a mud hut over there," Sarah said, "I think we need to check it out."

"I agree, there is too much activity for it to be a family." After doing a thorough recon of the area, they decided they were in the right place. "Give me a few minutes to take out the guys in the back. Follow me until I go in. We'll work together to take out the ones by the doors in front. I'll signal you when to join me. You ready?"

"Damn straight I'm ready."

Sarah watched as Chuck silently made his way to the first guard. Slipping behind him he put his left hand over his mouth to prevent a scream. Using his right hand he brought up his knife and slit the man's throat from ear to ear. He lowered the lifeless body and moved to the next target. Sarah was in awe as the Ghost moved from one target to another with grace and ease she had seldom witnessed. He was quick, effective and deadly. She took in how he used a different technique to kill each terrorist. She would need to ask him about that later. When he was done with the men outside he gave her the signal to join him at the back of the building and she did. In a hushed voice he explained the plan to enter the building.

"I'll take the left side you get the right. Stop when you get to the corner. When you get to the front hit the signal. When the second person gets there they hit the signal. The first person to the front is in charge of the building from there on out. The first to arrive will hit the signal to start the entrance. Remember its three, two one, go. We should get there at the same time. Once the guards are down we go in guns a blazing, and we leave no one alive. Got it?"

Sarah remembered some of the agents she had met in the past that she felt had command presence; they had nothing on the Ghost. "Got it."

M-4's slung across their backs they split up and went toward the front of the building. Sarah was first to arrive and sent the signal to the Chuck. He arrived shortly after and returned the signal. It was all on Sarah now. Collecting her thoughts she sent the signal and counted down. At the same time they made their move. Within a few seconds both guards were in the company of the others. Both kills were silent and quick, with a nod to Chuck, She charged into the house with the Ghost on her heels. The element of surprise is an agent's best friend. Their M-4's cut down the enemy with ease. The terrorists only managed to get off a few shots before the battle was over. A quick but thorough check showed there were no more terrorists left. They found the missing team in a back room. They were in decent shape. There were a few broken arms, ribs and facial injuries. They would be able to travel with little difficulty. Chuck hit the locater beacon that would alert the Black Hawks that were on standby that the mission was complete and to head their way.

Sarah noted again how well prepared the Ghost was for a mission as she watched him hand out heavy duty pain tablets to the injured that needed them. After administering some minor first aid to those in need of it they moved to the place they had located earlier and waited for the Black Hawks.

Major Casey was the first to speak. "Thanks for the help. Who are you guys with?"

Sarah noticed Chucks hand move to his throat before he began to speak. When he did his voice was completely different than normal. "That Major, is none of your concern. General Beckman requested a team to get you out. That's all you need to know."

"Roger that Sir," was Casey's answer.

They moved in silence the rest of the way to the extraction site. Not long after they arrived the sounds of the Black Hawks could be heard. Seconds after the birds landed, the crew was out waving them forward. The injured were guided to the first bird and Chuck and Sarah to the second. When everyone loaded up the birds took to the skies and headed to their base. Once he birds landed Chuck pulled Sarah off the bird and at a dead run away from where the rest were headed. Sarah didn't even question it, she just followed. Chuck found an empty tent used to house transient personnel. Pulling a set of Army ACU's from his bag he tossed them to Sarah.

"Quick put these on. In the left jacket pocket is your ID card. Stow the mission gear in the bag." She didn't question him. Within minutes they were both changed and headed out of the tent, M-4's slung across their back's and pistols holstered and strapped to their thighs. They walked for a few minutes before Sarah spoke up.

"Why didn't we just go with the medical team and the men we rescued?"

"You're still thinking like a CIA agent. You need to start thinking like me. Had we gone with them, we would have had to take our masks off. The air crew, med team and the NSA team would then be able to identify us. That can't happen. Take a look around; there are hundreds of soldiers here. We blend in. Nobody will ever remember our faces. There may be a paper trail on our names, he said pointing to his chest, but only on paper."

"So for the rest of our trip home I'm Master Sergeant Hayes, and you're Master Sergeant Joyner?" questioned Sarah.

"Pretty much. We're going to head to the air terminal and see if we can catch an empty seat on a flight to Kabul, from there we'll head to BIAP (Baghdad International Airport) and after a call to Beckman we'll be on a flight to Dallas. We should be home in a couple days to a week, depending on flights and such."

"This is a big change for me. Most of my missions had the travel plans made out. Are you sure we can pull it off?"

"Oh yea of little faith. Troops move like this all the time. If a bird is going where you want and they have open seats they'll take you. I have done it before. I can't say what kind of birds we'll be on, but we'll get there. They have midnight meals here so let's get some food. The dining hall should be around here somewhere. Just flash the ID I gave you and it's all on Uncle Sam," Chuck laughed for the first time in many hours. Chuck was back and the Ghost was nowhere to be found.

They were sitting alone in the air terminal waiting to catch their first flight out when Sarah asked the question that had been on her mind since the mission.

"Back at the mud hut I noticed you took out each guard in a different manner. Why was that?"

"Diversion. Most agents and special operations teams have certain method they adapt to. By mixing several of the techniques at the same site it appears that more than one person or group was present. I try to switch up my routine each time. Keeps them guessing." She thought back to some of her missions and she realized that she had fallen into the same pattern he described. True to his word they were back in Echo Park in a week.

It was a week after they returned from the rescue mission when a call came in. Chuck and Sarah were working out in the Dojo, when an agent came in telling him that General Beckman was on the line for him.

"General Beckman, what can I do for you today?"

"I wanted to give you an update on the team you extracted. They are doing well and Major Casey sends his thanks. He did say one of the team members had a major case of the, how did he put it…ass. They should be back on duty in a few months."

"I'll pass on the thanks to the team that did the extraction. Is there anything else you need?"

"Not for now. Have a good day Chuck," and she was gone.

As soon as she disconnected, another monitor flashed and the musical chairs began. Sarah took her seat at a desk and Graham appeared on his screen.

"Hello Director, what do you need," questioned Chuck.

"I have a mission for Agent Walker. A person of interest, Joe Baldwin, has been spotted in Los Angles. He has connections to Fulcrum. He has a laptop that contains a list of CIA Agents. His plan is to sell it to Fulcrum. He will be attending a party later tonight. He has a preference for blondes and brunettes. I want Walker to go to the party and get the laptop back."

"Sir," began Sarah, "what is Fulcrum? I have never heard of them before." That was a little white lie. She had heard of them before but it was from Chuck. She was not as trusting of Graham as she once had been. While with the CIA she never had heard of them.

"They are a rogue group of agent's intent on changing the way the intelligence communities do business. We have been getting bits and pieces on them for a while. We need those names back."

"Send me the information and I'll take care of it."

"Let me know when the mission is complete. Graham out." The connection was cut.

"Guess I need to get ready for a party. I'll call you when I get back."

"Have fun Sarah, I'll have somebody watching your back."

"Thanks Chuck. I'm heading out to get ready," she said just before she headed out.

Later that night Sarah walked into the party wearing a knee length red dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her hair was pulled back in a loose bun with decorative chop sticks holding it place. Circling the room she spotted her mark. She was surprised when she saw him sitting with an attractive brunette. Her hair was almost to her waist and she was wearing a full length dress with an open back. The front was just low enough to show a bit of flesh. _Damn my job just got harder. Time to get to work._

When she got to the table the couple was laughing and joking. He was holding her hand as well. She made her move.

"Hi, I'm Loni Anderson, is this seat taken?" she took note that not only was her mark checking her but so was the brunette.

"Please have a seat Loni, I'm Joe and this is Charlene."

"Loni," Charlene said almost purring, staring straight into Sarah's eyes. Charlene let her eyes drift down towards Sarah's chest, "Very pleased to meet you." With that she got up and gave Sarah a light kiss on the cheek. Charlene turned to Joe and in a husky voice said, "Sweetie, would you please be a dear and get this lovely lady a drink? Bring me a fresh one as well." Honoring the lady's request he headed to the bar, dreams of a wild night dancing in his head.

"Charlene, is it. I need to tell you I don't go that way. So don't get any ideas about later."

"Loni…" the voice was huskier and more sexy than before. Loni was almost said with reverence. Charlene reached up to touch the choker on her neck, "Please call me Chuck," and she winked and smiled.

"Chuck…your Chuck?" she squeaked out.

"In the flesh mostly," Charlene answered with a laugh. "Except for some plastic and some tape. That part I hate. I always chafe for a few days after donning one of these disguises. I told you I had your back."

"I'll be damned. So you're here because you don't think I can do my job?" she hissed.

"Not at all. After you left the tech's found out Joe has a problem. He had an accident a while ago that left him with some ah…personal issues. He likes to watch if you know what I mean. So instead of scrapping the mission, I came as Charlene. We will be his entertainment. He will never know. We take him to his room tranq him and get the laptop. Easy as pie."

"When he gets back let's give him a show."

Joe returned and the plan started. Sarah and Chuck began exchanging small kisses. It wasn't before they were headed to the room. Once inside, Chuck used the tranq dart he had hidden. Joe was out for the count. They grabbed the laptop and headed back to the secure room in Chuck apartment. Chuck went into his bed room to change back to normal, and Sarah put in a call to Graham. Chuck stayed hidden as Sarah filled Graham in and made arrangements for the laptop to be picked up.

"Look who's back. I have to ask, how did you get into that?"

"I had help. I don't normally do that for missions, but when I do I get Ellie to help to help me. She's a wiz with makeup. Before we send the laptop back we need to copy the files on the hard drive."

"Smith was right when he told me you could walk up to me and I would never know. I feel like pizza. I'll order one and we can watch a movie." They spent the rest of the night talking over the mission and how Chuck made his disguises. It was a very good night.


	9. Author's Note

Author's Note. This is proof that reviews matter. I seem to have a different view of Charah than some readers. I intend to fix that over the next couple days. As long as I know they are together, I know they do couples things like kissing and small types of affection. Thanks to the reviews I know that some readers like to see it in the story. So over the next few days I will re-work chapters 9-11 which are complete and ready to post. I will bring more of the relationship into view but will not let it interfere with the story. So those of you that want to see Chuck and Sarah christen every horizontal surface they come across, sorry that is not going to happen. I hope I can find the middle ground between what I intended to write and what, you the reader, want to see. Thanks for your patience in this matter. I hope to have chapter 9 up by Sunday night.


	10. Chapter 9

**AN: Ok folks here it is. hope you enjoy. same disclaimers as always. hope you guys enjoy it. thanks for all the reviews they do mean a lot.**

Chapter 9

**March 2007**

**Echo Park**

Ellie was enjoying her day off. Devon was at work so she had the entire place to herself. After giving the apartment a thorough cleaning, she flopped down on the couch and opened her laptop. She signed into her Frost Princess account. There was one e-mail from Frost Queen. It said. Company is in need of a good exterminator. I recommended the same one as before and the company agreed. Also company wants the install complete by summer. This was the e-mail she had been waiting on for months. Her reply was simple, will talk to installer today. Time frame should be no problem. Will possibly be two installers because of the job size?

**Orion's Den**

The laptop on Orion's table beeped signaling an incoming e-mail. He was pleased when he read the install was back on. It was now time to put his plan into motion.

**CIA Headquarters**

Graham was reading the latest bit of Intel on Fulcrum he received from Bryce. He was getting more concerned with each report that came in. In the beginning there was a good deal of useful information in the files. Now the information was almost as the same as they were getting from other sources. The names Bryce used to send were confirmed to be Fulcrum. The new ones turned into dead ends. In the latest file all the agents were dead, and had been for some time. Graham stated to think that Larkin had really switched sides. It was Larkin's problem if he did. He could be taken care of easily, and he had the man who could do it almost at his fingertips. While not as vain as Larkin, he had his own ego. The head of the DNI was retiring and the two people that were left in the running were himself and General Beckman. With his new version of the Intersect ready to come one line in a few months he needed to get Larkin back. Bryce would upload the Intersect and would then go back undercover with Fulcrum and do some real damage.

Then there was Walker. She was a field agent not some pencil pusher. Every time he called ISA she was there to answer the call. It was like she never ran missions. He had sent her on a few missions that should have taken her a few weeks to complete. She always had them done in record time. If she had gotten that good in just around six months he needed her back. Teaming her with Bryce would be a formidable combination. Fulcrum would be done in a few short months. He could see his promotion dancing before his eyes. He made a decision that would change his future.

He logged on to his e-mail and saw what he had been waiting for. The computer that would allow the Intersect to be uploaded into a human was going to be complete by the end of the month. It was time to get Larkin back in the fold.

He placed a call into ISA and waited for them to pick up. His screen filled with the face of Agent Walker.

"Hello director," she greeted him.

"Sarah, I need you for a mission. I have an agent on a deep cover mission. We are still getting information from him but it's stale. I believe he may have turned. I need you to get him back."

"Who is the agent, and who is he trying to infiltrate?"

"I can't tell you that yet. Come back to Headquarters and I'll give you a full read in when you arrive. During the mission you will report directly to me."

"Director, you know that's not how we work here. All information we get comes here first, then gets passed on. Chuck is my handler when I'm on a mission, so he will need to be read in as well. If the mission is that classified we can switch to his secure office and you can read both of us in then."

"Sarah, that's not possible. If anyone else gets the details it could endanger the mission. There are forces at work here that we can't fathom what the results would be if they got their hands on anything you may find. This mission must stay between the two of us."

"Sir, with all due respect, I no longer work for you. You can provide missions, and I will do them but not without my bosses knowledge."

"You leave me no choice Walker; I am pulling you back from ISA immediately. You will report to me in two days. Is that understood?"

"Yes Sir. I will call my boss, who answers only to two people, of which you are neither and tell him you want me back. Good day Sir." She disconnected the call, and went to Chuck's office. She found him playing HALO on his gaming consol.

"Chuck, we have a problem."

"First have a seat." When she sat on the couch, he got up and sat beside her and put his arm around her back. "Now what has you in such a tizzy?"

"Graham wants me back. He needs for a special mission." Sarah then told Chuck about her call with Graham.

"Sounds off the books to me, Sarah."

"That's what I thought too."

"So what's our next step?"

Sarah went over Graham's call again. She'd been here for a while now and was starting to think more like Chuck. What was Graham trying to say without really saying it? Slowly the pieces started to fall into place.

"First I need to have one of the analysts look into the CIA data base and pull the information on who is working a deep cover mission. We can eliminate female agents. Graham let it slip it was a male agent. Then try to find the reports that have stale data. He made it sound like the operation has been going on for a while, so I can have them go back six months and start there."

"Good plan. Assign someone to take care of it. When you find something out bring the information to me. I'm gonna call Smith and see if knows anything." Sarah left and Chuck made his call. Like he figured Smith had no intention of letting Sarah be forced back. It was her call to make, if Graham had a problem with it, he would personally have a talk with him.

A few hours went by when Sarah again entered Chuck's office. This time she had more disturbing news than before.

"Chuck. There is no mission in the CIA data banks that fit the description. I know it's off the books."

"That was our first guess. Smith hasn't heard anything either. So do you want to take the assignment?" He was talking to her as her handler not her boyfriend.

"Part of me wants to. An agent could be in so deep they can't get out." Sarah noticed a twinge of remorse flash across Chuck face but it was quickly hidden. "The other part of me is screaming setup."

"My opinion is that it is a setup," Chuck took a second to gather his thoughts. "My guess is he has someone on an off the books mission going after a high profile target. The agent is wavering on his position. Should he flip sides or stay the course. That could be the reason the information is old. He wants to look like he's still loyal and at the same time wants to protect who he is with."

"That sounds reasonable. What do we do?" asked Sarah.

"At this time nothing. We need more information from Graham. I normally don't get involved with this sort of problem, but this one involves one of my people. That I can't have."

"So we just wait it out?" asked Sarah.

"For the most part yes. I have a few contacts at CIA Headquarters I think I'll give them a call and see what they can find out. If I'm right Graham is keeping the information from his agent off the net, most likely on a standalone computer in his office." He stood up and walked around the room for a few minutes trying to come up with a plan.

"I'll get one of the tech's to remote hack into his system. He can scan Graham's work computer before we use my contact to check his office. If he does find anything we can use, we address the issue personally. If not we go to the contact."

"That will work for me. I need to call Graham back and tell him I won't be back and he can call whoever he wants. Not that it will do any good."

Chuck walked over to Sarah and pulled her into a hug. He bent down and whispered in her ear, "thank you for staying. It means a lot to me." Then he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"Chuck you're the number one reason I am staying. This is the best relationship I have ever been in and I want it to work. That and I get to work with the best." This time it was her turn to kiss him. She went for the lips instead. They were so into each other that neither one heard Chuck's door open. The sound of someone clearing their throat caused them to jump back.

"Ellie, what have I told you about knocking?" Ellie was too busy trying not to laugh she had a hard time answering.

"That was about the apartment. I never thought you two would be going at it while working!"

"Next time knock, there is a huge sofa in here after all," he wiggled his eyebrows. His caused his sister to laugh and Sarah to blush.

"The big install that got canceled due to lack of funds is back on and the company wants it done by summer. They are still looking for the exterminator as well. Seems the company wants the same one as before. I did mention to our representative on site we may be sending a pair of technicians for the install."

"Two installers, El? And where do you expect me to find another one?"

"Chuck we have teams of installers on the third floor, just use them," stated Sarah. She really didn't understand why it was so hard. Ellie looked over at Sarah and then back to Chuck. _There is no way my brother is this dense. Then again maybe he is._ Chuck noticed the motion of his sister's eyes and the light came on. Sarah was getting more confused the longer the conversation went.

"Ellie, you can't be serious."

"I am. We both know it's going to be hard, if not impossible for you to do it on your own. Plus, I don't think Sarah wants to be separated from you for a couple months if not longer. So do the right thing by asking her."

"Did I ever tell you were too smart for your own good?"

"Several times as a matter of fact now ask her."

"Hey I'm still here you know," Sarah almost screamed he last part. It was bad enough she was confused but now they were talking like she wasn't even there.

"El, have a seat I have a feeling this will take a while. Have you heard of Alexi Volkoff?"

"He's a huge arms dealer wanted by just about everyone. I know we've been after him for a while, but we can never get close," explained Sarah.

"Right, and when we did the mission got blown when someone interfered. Alexi Volkoff was going to bring me on as a hit man or exterminator. From what Ellie just said he wants me now. That was the install she was talking about. I have a chance to finish what I started over a year ago. We won't get another chance." Chuck paused for a second and looked into Sarah's eyes and continued on. "I'm asking you if you would like to be my partner on this mission. It's up to you. Take as much time as you need, but I'll be leaving in a few days."

"There's nothing to think about. I'm in. You can explain all the details later, at your place. Since that was so draining I think we need a break. Ellie, how do you feel about a nice juicy steak?"

"Sarah you read my mind. Come on Chuck it's time to eat."

**Graham's office**

After his attempts to get Walker back failed he went to plan B. By sheer luck Bryce picked today to call in. He quickly filled Bryce in on the Intersect being ready and that he would be the host. Bryce was surprised and impressed that he was chosen to upload it. Graham then went to plan B. He told Bryce that he would partner him back with Walker when he returned. Graham told Bryce the he would need to convince Walker because she was enjoying her time pushing pencils and guarding an asset. _Well that's a lie, but Bryce won't know._ Graham pulled out all the stops, promising Larkin the most dream assignments once he got Walker back under control. Graham could tell he had Bryce right where he wanted him. His day was looking up.

**Fulcrum base**

Bryce felt like he won the lottery. He was going to be the Intersect and he was going to get Sarah back. He also knew Graham to well, almost as good as the man knew himself. Graham's claim of fortune and fame was a hollow promise. Fulcrums were real. He already moved up the ladder and into the top ten. A few more big missions and would make it to number one. To bring the Intersect to Fulcrum, that would get him a regional commander's position. And Graham was handing it to him on a silver platter. It was almost too easy. Go in and upload the Intersect then return to Fulcrum and begin the takeover. Bryce didn't care who ran what as long as he got a big part of it. The country would still be there and his money would still be good. He told his plan to the leader of the Fulcrum base and got his blessing. He was on his way up. His day was looking good.

**ISA Chuck's office**

Lunch was over and the phone calls were made. Smith was more than happy to hear that the operation was back on. They had waited a long time for this. Chuck gave his second in command all the information he would need to take over in his place. His number two was used it by now with all the security firms business trips Chuck had gone on over the years. Chuck would stay in touch as always.

"Sarah, you need anything from the armory before I lock it up?"

"No thanks Chuck, I have everything I need."

"Good, head to your place and pack. When you finish stop by my place, I need to talk to Ellie for a bit before we go."

"Ok, I'll see you in a bit," she gave a Chuck a kiss before leaving.

**Chuck's Apartment**

Chuck and Ellie had finished their talk and Chuck was in his room finishing his packing. Sarah arrived just after the siblings were done speaking and the two women were sitting on the couch engaged in idle banter. Ellie decided it was time to bring up a subject that had been on her mind for some time.

"Sarah, you've been dating my brother for a while now. Between us women, how do you feel about him?"

"El, he is the most important thing to me. I have never been in such a great relationship before. He is one special man, but I'm sure you know that."

"I do. Have you told him how you feel yet? I know my brother pretty well and he really can be dense about women."

"Ellie, I care about Chuck a great deal. I know I love him. It's just that I'm afraid to tell him. Hell, he hasn't even said that to me. I know I'm scared that if I tell him I love him this whole thing will come crashing down on our heads. I think he is worried the same as me."

"Nonsense Sarah, I see the way you two look at each other. Telling each other how you feel will not cause your relationship to crash and burn."

Sarah was still talking to Ellie when Chuck walked in. all he hard was Sarah say I love you Chuck. He walked up behind her and put his arms around her and said, "Well, it's a good thing I love you too." He spun her around and kissed her with as much love and devotion as he could. It was not a kiss meant to stir arousal, rather one to show the person you were kissing the depths of your emotion. Sarah returned the kiss in the same manner. A after a few moments of saying I love you to each other they broke apart to face Ellie who had a huge grin on her face.

"See guys, that wasn't so hard no was it?"

Almost in unison they replied, "No."

"Time for you guys to get going. Good luck on the mission." They exchanged hugs and goodbyes. As the left the apartment Ellie could hear chuck say

"Ok, it's time to take down Alexi Volkoff and bring my mom home."


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

**April 2007**

**Graham's Office**

Graham was seated behind his desk looking over some mission reports. Today he was the happiest man in the world. Bryce Larkin had been able to upload the Intersect and use it. The initial results were good. Other than a minor headache Bryce was fine. He was able to recall about eighty percent of the information that was contained in a flash. It was time to send Bryce to the ISA and get his partner back. Graham figured that once Bryce had a chance to talk to Walker she would see the light. They were partners with benefits before.

Bryce was another happy camper. He was now the intersect host. The thought of all the power he had at his fingertips made him shiver with delight. He was on his way to Graham's office to get his first mission. The receptionist showed him into Graham's office.

"Agent Larkin how does it feel to be the most valuable agent in the CIA?"

"It feels good, Sir. So what's my first mission?"

"Straight to the chase eh Larkin?"

"I don't see the need to stay here anymore. Fulcrum is out there and getting stronger every week. The longer we wait around the harder it will be to stop them."

"I like that attitude Larkin. We need to make a call first." Graham hit the connect icon on his computer that would establish his direct link to the ISA. A few seconds passed before the request was accepted.

"Good afternoon, Director, what can we do for you today?" queried the Agent in Charge.

"I need to speak with Agent Walker. I'm going to need to her for a mission. Tell her I have her partner, Bryce Larkin with me as well." Bryce had moved to stand beside Graham by this time. When the Agent saw Bryce on the screen he pressed a button on the desk to initiate the secondary communications protocol. Chuck would receive the same feed as he was. It would give Chuck a chance to decide if he was going to participate in the call or not.

"I'm sorry Director, but Agent Walker went on leave a few weeks ago and will be gone for about a month. You have other agents here that you can use. Shall I get one of them?"

**Royal Windsor Hotel, Belgium**

Chuck and Sarah were relaxing on the couch of their hotel suite when his phone beeped indicating a text message. He opened the text and saw the message from ISA. Getting off the couch he made his way to the desk and brought up the video feed. He turned to Sarah and said, "This should be good."

"I bet it will be."

**ISA**

"NO, Agent sanders, it has to be Walker. Give me her number so I can her myself and straighten this mess out." Graham was about to continue when Bryce chimed in.

"Listen Agent, you are talking the Director of the CIA. Agent Walker works for him and not you. Now be a good little flunky and get your boss so I can speak to my partner." Bryce was not very pleased at the treatment he was getting. He, Bryce Larkin was being treated as an equal despite his being superior. Now that I'm the Intersect Bryce thought, this won't do. He was going to show them, he would show them all.

"I'm sorry Agent Larkin, Director Graham. Agent Walker's leave was approved two weeks ago and she left a few days later. She did not leave a number where she could be reached."

When Bryce started going off on the Agent again Graham pulled out his cell phone and dialed Sarah's number. The phone rang a few times and was picked up by the agent on the screen. "Agent walkers phone, this is Agent Sanders can I help you?" The scream that Graham let out sent Chuck and Sarah into hysterics, and Bryce further into his rage.

**RWH**

Chuck decided to put an end to the nonsense that was going on between the two idiots and his Agent. His image replaced Sanders on the screen and he spoke. "Director Graham, Agent Larkin I see you have been giving my Agent a hard time." Sarah noted that the tone Chuck normally used had slipped away and Ghost was starting to assert himself.

"Chuck what are you doing on this call? It's for CIA personnel only. How and why are you hacking in?" asked Bryce.

"Well Bryce, I'm shocked your boss didn't tell you. The ISA is where I work. I handle the Agents that work there. So are done accosting my people?" Chuck questioned back. "Now that we know each other, what is the reason for the call?"

"I want Walker for a mission. Bryce came back with some damaging information on the group he infiltrated. He needs Walkers help for the remainder of the mission."

"Agent Sanders did inform you that Agent Walker is on leave didn't he? And Mister Smith, my boss, also informed you that Agent Walker works for him correct? Therefore there is nothing more to discuss. Good day Gentlemen, please refrain from causing such a stir in the future, Bartowski out." Turning to look at Sarah he smiled and said, "I've always wanted to do that."

"Chuck Bartowski you are crazy."

"Yeah, but you love me anyway."

"I do love you, even if you are crazy."

They went back to the couch to relax some more and engage in some amorous activities.

**Graham's office.**

Bryce was livid. Today's events just made things more clear. What kind of country was it if Chuck Bartowski was handling Agents? It was time to get back to work for the real people. He took his leave from Graham and headed back to the Fulcrum base he was working from.

Graham was beginning to panic all his plans were starting to fall apart at an amazing rate. He was sure his plan would work. His dreams of grandeur were close to becoming a thing of the past.

**RWH**

Chuck and Sarah had returned to the couch after the talk with Graham and Bryce. Chuck hadn't seen Bryce since he left Stanford. The man on the screen was not the same one he remembered from college. He wanted to see if Sarah had the same thoughts.

"Did that seem like the same Bryce you were partnered with?" began Chuck.

"No it didn't, he almost seemed possessed. We both know he is high on himself but I have never seen him like that before."

"Neither have I. I need to talk to Ellie; if my hunch is right we may have a problem."

"So what are you thinking?"

"Bryce uploaded the Intersect."

"Shit. What makes you think that?"

"A couple of things. First the CIA has been working on their version of the Intersect for a while. Second, Bryce was borderline acceptable. Third Graham wanted you to get his agent back. I think that agent was Bryce. He knew Bryce would jump at the chance to upload it. My guess is that's why Bryce came back." Chuck paused for a minute before he continued.

"Before we fixed the issues with the Intersect program, one of the side effects was mental instability. If they were using the basic program my dad created, and never fixed the bugs, we could be looking at that side effect."

"That makes a lot of sense, and you're right, Bryce would jump at the chance to upload it. What I can't figure out is why they didn't fix the problem before they tried to up load it," Sarah said with a slight frown.

"My guess is they didn't know about it or didn't care. My dad found the problem a few years back. It took my dad and Ellie almost a year to fix the program. If they did know about it and with the time it would take to fix the problem they probably thought it was worth the risk."

"The more I see the CIA from this side of it, the better I feel about leaving it."

"Kinda like a light coming on slow, like when a person uses a dimmer switch?" questioned Chuck.

"At times it feels like I was hit with a two by four. It's late and you have that hit to do in the morning. So off to bed. I'll see you in the morning," Sarah gave Chuck a kiss and made her way to her room and closed the door. Chuck headed to his room to get some much needed rest and try to figure out what Graham and Bryce were up to.

The next morning the couple shared a breakfast of fresh fruits and waffles. When chuck was ready to leave he gave Sarah a kiss goodbye and went to leave the room. Sarah had other plans however and began attacking his lips with more passion than usual. The kissing got more advance with hands moving and caressing each other. It was going well until Chuck bumped into the chair by the door and fell on it bringing Sarah with him. The sudden impact of them hitting the floor ruined the mood. They both promised to pick up where they left off when Chuck returned.

Chuck's target for the day was a Belgian business man, William Schmidt. He was one of Volkoff's main accountants. Schmidt liked fast cars and expensive women. He also loved to play black jack, the higher the stakes the better. He soon found he could not cover his losses, so he borrowed more money in hopes he could win it back. He soon lost all his holdings and had to sell his houses to pay off the debt. Unable to raise the money he began to embezzle small amounts each month. One thing led to another and he was still broke and he owed Volkoff over three million Euros. He knew what the results would be if Volkoff found out. He packed up all his remaining things from the small farm house he still owned. He would leave the country and turn himself in to the American authorities and reveal the Volkoff's accounts he knew about.

Ghost had located his targets cottage a few days ago and spent the days after it learning his targets schedule. After selecting his firing position and noting the distance, he selected his M89SR Israeli sniper rifle. It was small enough to be concealed and used the standard seven point six two NATO rounds. It was his favorite rifle for shots under five hundred meters. Attached to the underside of the weapon was the high tech camera he would need to record the kill. Ghost checked his watch and noted that within a few minutes his target would arrive. Right on time a small car pulled in front of the cottage. Ghost looked through his scope and sighted the driver. As the driver closed the door and took a step towards the door, Ghost squeezed the trigger. His aim was true and the target collapsed into a heap near the front of his car. A pool of blood was forming near the targets head. Ghost picked up the spent shell casing and placed it in his pocket. Grabbing the rest of his things he made his way back to his car. In route he took out his phone and dialed.

"Frost."

"It's done. I'll send the conformation footage when I'm secure" and the call ended. Ghost was no fool; his definition of secure was an internet café well away from the hotel. If they somehow intercepted the e-mail, it would be well away from where he was staying.

**Volkoff industries.**

Frost put her phone away and turned to Alexi, "It's done. We should be getting the footage in a while. He needs to get to a secure location before he sends it out."

"This enforcer of yours is very good. I think after one more job I will offer him employment."

"That's good Alexi"

"I think I may have him take your place Frost, and then you would never have to leave my side."

"You say the nicest things Alexi." All Mary Bartowski could think was _hurry up Chuck._

**RWH**

Chuck returned from his mission and was currently sitting on the couch wrapped in Sarah's arms. They started spending time like this after Chuck completed a hit. It was to reassure each other they were the most important people in each other's lives. For Sarah it was her way of telling Chuck that no matter what he had to do she understood and would stand by him. For Chuck it let him know that she would always be there for him. They soon drifted off into sleep wrapped in each other's arms.

**Echo Park**

**Morgan Grimes room**

Morgan had just finished off another marathon session of Call of Duty online. It wasn't the same as when he played video games with Chuck. Those days were long gone now. First Chuck moved away after Stanford and when he returned he came back with a girlfriend that was hell on wheels.

He let his mind drift to that fateful day several months ago. He was down at the arcade trying to make some sense of his life. He just had another fight with his longtime friend and was trying to work out everything that Chuck and Sarah told him. He was just about to finish off some zombies when a man stepped up to him and began talking about the game. It wasn't long before they were playing as teammates. Morgan was eating up the praise he was getting from the man. The man told him he was a natural with a gun.

They met up several more times after that and ended up in Morgan's place a few times. They even went to a range and practiced with a real pistol. He had some trouble at first, but soon got the hang of it. After about a month, the man revealed his true identity, Daniel Shaw of the CIA. He explained to Morgan that his job was to recruit and train people that the agency may have over looked in the past. He saw Morgan playing the game a few weeks before approaching him. He made his report to his superior that he may have found a suitable candidate. He was told to observe him to see if he would be good agent material and judging by what he had seen so far Morgan was a natural. After a few months of personalized training by Shaw, he was pronounced ready to go.

Morgan was excited as he could be. He could hardly wait for Chuck to come back so he could show him his badge and tell him he was a real CIA Agent attached to the division known as The Ring. He knew that would impress Chuck, maybe even enough to land him a job in Chuck's company. After all Morgan figured, who better to have working for you other than a real CIA Agent? Daniel told him working for Chuck would be the best cover job he could have.

**RWH**

It had been a few days since Chuck had completed his mission. He was just waiting for his next mission. Supposedly it was going to be his final one before he would be joining Volkoff industries. His laptop chirped indicating an e-mail. It was his next assignment Demetri Zukov, West Coast operations of Volkoff industries. He failed to complete several important deals Volkoff wanted to get done. When Demetri was confronted by Frost he made the mistake of insulting her. Alexi would not stand for the love of his life being insulted like that. Waytt would be perfect for this assignment.

Chuck and Sarah were happy about the new location. After this job was over it would be on to Moscow to begin phase 2 of their carefully planned extraction of Frost.


	12. Chapter 11

**AN: again thanks for the reviews! Parts of this chapter are real events that I was involved in or knew people that were. The OFC I am introducing is made up from people I know, so the traits are good, lol. I needed another body, and figured why stick to the same ones, right? Same disclaimers as always.**

Chapter 11

**May 2007**

Chuck and Sarah arrived back in Echo Park within a few days of Chuck getting his new assignment. They were both glad to be back in the area even if it was only for a short time. It would be a good chance to catch up with Ellie and Devon. Sarah would go to the ISA and check up on a few things while Chuck would avoid the place like the plague. Sarah would be getting a fake assignment from Smith to explain her being gone. Chuck did not need any excuse, he owned the company that operated on the third floor after all. He was also the top handler and would sometimes not come in for months at a time. His people were used to it by now.

Chuck did his normal permission recon of his intended target. Chuck picked a simple disguise for this mission. Long black hair and Goth style clothes with heavy makeup. He chose this type of disguise because he could use it for a long time. None of the latex mask preparation would be needed. It would be a hard hit to perform. Demetri lived in a heavily populated area and took public transportation to and from work. Pulling a gun in downtown Los Angles would be tough. So would setting up a sniper location. There was too much chance of getting caught. When he had meetings he would take a limo. The limo would pick him up in a secure underground garage. Chuck figured he would need to do a public hit and get away un-noticed. He decided on a method he rarely used, poison. His choice was the venom of the Inland Taipan, the most venomous snake in the world. He would need to call in a few favors to get the venom he needed, but the end result would be a clean and virtually untraceable kill. It would take a few days until he received the venom, but he was not in any hurry. The longer he was home the better it would be. It would give him more time to put his plans into place.

Sarah's fake mission was to escort a non-existent diplomat as he traveled around the country. She had to laugh at the ease that Chuck's boss could arrange a plan. The day after she was told what her mission would be, all the information she need was uploaded into the system. If anyone checked, the diplomat's complete history would appear to be above board.

After the dust settled from their trip overseas Chuck decided they needed some alone time. With Chuck dressed as he was, going to an upscale place to eat would be a tough sell. So he took Sarah to a small but very good hamburger place that Morgan had recommended a few years ago. When they entered the establishment it was seat yourself. They selected a table against the back wall and slid onto the bench and sat side by side so they had a clear view of the door. It was force of habit for the two seasoned spies. Never let your enemies get the drop on you because you didn't see them coming. While they were waiting for the waitress to take their order, they sat at the table holding hands and making small talk.

The waitress came over and took their order. Sarah got her normal medium rare burger with extra pickles and onions. Chuck ordered a medium burger with lettuce, tomatoes and pickles. They also got a large order of fries and drinks.

"I wanted to take you someplace special, but this will have to do until we get this mission over with. It's kind of hard getting into a nice place looking like this," as he motioned to the clothes he was wearing.

"I will admit I like the way you normally do, but it's better than being out on a date with Charlene." This made both of them laugh.

When they calmed down a bit, Chuck turned his head towards Sarah and gave her a kiss. Not a major one, just a small one to let her know again he loved her. Sarah was quick to respond to the kiss. The waitress chose this exact moment to bring their food. Not noticed by the couple in the process of making out was Morgan. He was about to enter the restaurant when he saw Sarah making out with some guy that was not Chuck. He didn't like Sarah that much after she chewed his ass out at the Buy More. He pulled out his camera and snapped off a picture or two. This would help him get rid of the she devil once and for all.

"Sarah, I have been giving the install some thought. Together we can handle it, but I'm worried about something going wrong."

"I am too. We are going to be in a very hostile work environment. So it makes sense."

"I'm glad you agree. After we finish we can head to the beach and take a walk. It's a nice night out. It's been a while since we have had the chance just to spend quality time together."

"Aren't you the romantic one, Mr. Bartowski?"

"Well I do try." Soon the burgers and fries were gone and they made the drive to the beach. They enjoyed a pleasant walk down by the water's edge. Of course they had to stop several times to exchange kisses and let their hands roam around each others bodies.

"Let's head back to my place. I need you opinion on the guy I want to bring in."

"Sounds good to me, but if you trust him then he should be fine."

It wasn't long before they were back at Chuck's place and in his secure room. Chuck placed a file on the desk. Sarah took one look at the file and her head popped up. "Chuck, with as dangerous as this mission is going to be, do you think this old guy will be able to handle it? Does he owe you or something for saving his ass?"

"No, he doesn't owe me a thing, Sarah," Chuck got up and headed for the door to give Sarah time to go over the file. As he turned to go he had one final thing to say, "I owe him, Sarah. I owe him my life." And Chuck left the room.

Sarah was stunned. She knew all about Chuck being the Ghost. He even filled her in on some of his missions on day when they were comparing note on missions they had been on. How could an agent as good as Chuck need help? And what kind of man, that was not an agent, help Chuck out? She dug into his file with gusto. She wanted to know all about the man that had saved the most important thing in her life, Chuck. The picture in the file was of him in his dress blues. He was Sergeant First Class in the Army. Eight rows of ribbons adorned the left side of his chest. The man was highly decorated. Several combat medals were in his file, as well the normal smattering of non-combat ones. The one thing that stood out the most was his status. He wasn't even active duty Army. He was a reservist. Those medals must have been awarded when he was younger she mused. If Chuck trusted him, then she would welcome him with open arms. Maybe he was going to be the support element of the team.

Chuck gave Sarah a few minutes alone to digest the information in the man's file. He could almost hear her thoughts as he re-entered the office in his apartment.

"Well Sarah, what do you think about Sergeant White?"

"He looks like he'd make a good communications guy. He has multiple skills in that area. I think he's a good choice."

Chuck began laughing a bit at that remark. Sarah gave him the stink eye as he chuckled.

"Not only no but hell no. That would be a waste of his talents." He moved to the couch and pulled Sarah onto his lap. He gave her a small kiss before continuing on. "I'm going to tell you a story that no one knows about, not even Ellie or Smith." Sarah was getting nervous about hearing this. What could have happened that Chuck would keep this from his boss and his sister?

"Right after the Iraqi War began; I got a call from David. Mossad needed me for a mission. It turned to be the worst mission of my life. I almost gave up being an agent after it. There was a target he needed taken care of near Ramadi. With all the Americans in the area I had the best shot of getting in and out un-noticed. The mission went off without a hitch until I began my egress. I was moving along the roof tops and part of the roof gave way and I crashed to the ground, breaking my left leg." Sarah gave Chuck a small hug of comfort. She could tell he was reliving a painful moment in his life. She had shared a few of those with him as well.

"I managed to drag my ass out of the mud hut and into the street. From there things got worse in a hurry. A few of the locals still loyal to the local bad guys got me. They dragged me into another house and began kicking the tar out of me. My eyes were almost closed and I thought they might have broken a few ribs. I figured it wouldn't be long before they killed me and dragged my dead body through the streets." Chuck sucked in a couple of deep breaths to collect his thoughts.

"Chuck, I can tell this is hard for you. You don't have to go on," Sarah said. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear this.

"No it's fine. It's about time I told someone and who better than the woman I love? I was on the verge of losing hope when the door burst open and I heard the sound of automatic weapons fire. The men that were beating me were dead and this Soldier comes sauntering over and starts cutting me loose. Just as he gets finished a few new guys came in and began attacking the Soldier. What I saw next is hard to describe, even now. He moved like lightning and had cat like reflexes, even in full IBA and Kevlar helmet. It was like watching poetry in motion. His knife that he had been using to cut my bonds flashed a few times and the men were all on the ground. He kept mumbling something about idiots ruining his day." Chuck reached for a glass of water on the end table and took a small drink.

"I was so out of it I said the first thing that came to my mind, 'Dude your old'. He just laughed and looked at me and said 'I know, but I ain't broke'. I actually laughed at that. We made it into the street when all hell broke loose. His squad came under heavy small arms fire. A few got hit but nothing serious. He put me on the ground and positioned himself between me and the insurgents. He handed me his nine millimeter, took the safety off and handed it to me then said, 'just point it at anyone not wearing green and squeeze the trigger, then hope you hit something.'"

"It looked like we were gonna be over run. He was holding off several armed insurgents and I was useless at best. I told him to get away and leave me. He said he'd never leave a man behind. Then he turned to look at me and with this crazy ass smirk says, 'I live for this shit.' and starts returning fire. Several minutes later his men had the area under control. They called in a MEDAVAC after we left the town. That's when I noticed the blood dripping from his left hand. He'd been shot in the shoulder while keeping my ass safe. As we parted ways, he gave me a piece of advice. "Next time you go out for a stroll take a Marine with you. The Army is tired of saving your ass. Just like that he was gone."

"Damn," was all Sarah could say. She tightened her arms around him even more and held on for dear life. During the story she could almost see the events as they happened. It scared her that she almost lost Chuck before she had a chance to get to know him.

"During my time at the field hospital I overheard some loud talking so I went to see what it was all about. Standing in the hall is the guy who rescued me. He's telling off a doctor that refused to release him for duty. He kept on telling the doctor it was just a flesh wound. He spotted me and asked how I was doing. We chatted for a few minutes and he left again to try to persuade the doctor to release him. I never did find out if he got his way or not. He was the craziest bastard I ever ran into."

"So that's why you want him for the team. It makes sense if he's that good."

"It's not just that Sarah, when he turned to look at me I saw his eyes. There was no fear there at all. He was taking fire from five guys armed with AK-47's and you couldn't tell. He doesn't rattle under pressure. If the crap hits the fan, we can depend on him, both of us. He didn't let me down then, he won't let us down now."

"After what you just told me, I would be glad to have him on our team. I know I'm drained after hearing that, so I know you must be as well. I'm going to head out and get some sleep." She began to move off of Chucks lap when he pulled her closer.

"Please don't go. Spend the night here, with me. I want to fall asleep holding you tonight. I think it will be the only way I will get some sleep."

"Of course I'll stay. Come on lets go to bed. In the morning we will have time to call Beckman and get him here." She did get up this time and held Chucks hand as they went to his room. After they completed their night time rituals and changed the both got in Chucks bed and within minutes they were both sound asleep cradled in each others arms.

Several days passed after the night of 'the talk' as Sarah dubbed it. Chucks snake venom had arrived and it was time to put his plan into motion. It was a fairly easy plan. The day finally came for Chuck to take out Demetri. Demetri got his lunch from a street vender and went to sit on a bench near a small park. Sarah, with long red hair and dressed in a short denim skirt and a tight white top walked in front of him and pretended to stumble on her heels and dropped her bag. While this was taking place Chuck in his Goth disguise also moved in to help. He placed his hand on Demetri's shoulder as he bent down and used a pressurized needle he had concealed in his hand to inject the venom. Demetri liking what he saw reached down to pick up her bag and tried to hand it to her. He began having trouble breathing and was losing some of his motor control. Sarah and Chuck asked him if he was alright and gently pushed him against the back of the bench. Once he was seated with his eyes closed, he looked like he was asleep. They both left the area, the mission complete. By the time his people would come to check on him Demetri would dead. If not it wouldn't matter. The venom would kill him by the time a medical team could figure out what was wrong. Within the hour they were back in Chuck's place phoning in the results. Alexi was pleased and told them he would arrange their transportation in two weeks. He wanted them to have some time off after doing the number of missions they had done in the short time he had given them.

**Morgan's room**

Morgan now had several pictures of Sarah cheating on Chuck. Not only had she been seeing the Goth dude but another man as well. He knew he had enough evidence to show Chuck what a sleaze Sarah really was. Combined with the fact he was an agent, Chuck would realize the one person that truly cared about his well-being was Morgan. It would just be a matter of time before his old friend was back and things would be like they used to be. Who knows, maybe he could get Chuck a job in the spy biz as well.

**Fulcrum Base**

Bryce had indeed risen to the top. He may have had to kill a few extra people to get where he wanted, but it was all the same to him. He had a plan and was sticking to it. In a few months he would begin his plan to get rid of Chuck Bartowski and get his Sarah back. He would break into the Intersect facility and copy the Intersect files and send them to Chuck. He figured one of three things would happen. The first being Chuck would open the e-mail and up load the Intersect. With him only being a handler and not an agent it would land him in a bunker. The second possibility was Chuck would open the e-mail and not be able to handle it and go insane, this possibility was remote and he knew it. The third thing that could happen was he did nothing with the e-mail, and when they came to check him out they would find it and label him as a rogue agent. No matter what happened, Chuck Bartowski would be out of his hair and there would be no more excuses for not pairing him back up with Sarah.

**Orion's Den**

Orion was busy creating some new toys for Chuck to use. The first was a small hand held device that would reverse the effects of the program that turned Hartley into Volkoff. It looked similar to a hand held gaming system. The second was a virus that would allow the CIA to access Volkoff's server. Once that was complete the hackers and crackers would have all the time they needed to crack any security Volkoff had on his system. If all went well Hartley would be back to normal, the CIA would have the information they had been after for twenty five years and his wife would be home.

**Volkoff Industries Frost's office**

For the first time in years Mary could see the light at the end of the tunnel. She would be going home or die trying. She had managed to sneak in a few trips over the years to see her husband. She managed this when she had been to see Demetri a few times to straighten out some issues he was having. Now they were fixed permanently. Their plan was going very well. Mary knew that she had the best team working on her extraction. Chuck would be here soon and then she would be home where she belonged. Thinking solely as a mother, she could not wait to see his girlfriend.


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: Same disclaimers apply as always. Thanks for all your reviews good or bad, they do mean a lot. I have the next few chapters done. I will post this one and the next. I will then take a break for a few days to work on my other story futures past. **

Chapter 12

**June 2007**

**ISA**

The first week of their time off had flown by. Sarah needed to stop by the War Room and pick up the package Chuck was expecting from Orion. She decided to stop by the ISA on her way to Chuck's place. He would be busy most of the morning talking with Ellie making sure everything was in place for their mother's return. Sarah decided that since she was already here she would get a workout in. She changed into her workout clothes and went to the room that housed the heavy bag and other practice gear.

When she opened the door loud thumps could be heard. Sarah saw a shirtless man attacking the bag with a fury she seldom saw. The bandanna on his head was soaked with sweat and he had a MP3 player attached to his shorts. Faint sounds of Guns-N-Roses' 'Welcome to the Jungle' could be heard from his ear buds. His back was well defined and his muscles rippled every time he threw a punch. He wasn't a large man standing only about six feet tall, and not overly muscular. He was going through what could only be described as a boxing routine. Crisp jabs were followed by a flurry of body shots. Each of the body shots got louder as he increased the force he used as threw them.

Sarah knew one thing for sure, this Agent could pack a punch. He was dancing around the bag with agility and grace. Being one of the major players at ISA Sarah made it a point to get to know each of the agents that worked there. This was a big change from before when she kept herself isolated from almost everyone. Chuck had changed that for her. She made her way over to the man and keeping a safe distance she began calling out to him. One thing she knew for sure was never surprise an agent. The results were generally not good. Unable to get his attention by calling out to him she tossed her towel at him. The towel hit him in the back. The man stopped hitting the bag and turned to face her. He popped his ear buds out and addressed her.

"Sorry Ma'am, I didn't realize anyone else was here. I didn't mean to hog the bag. It's yours if you want it. I'm Sergeant White, by the way." Sarah was stunned when she heard the name. The _old guy_ was standing right in front of her. _Damn she thought, my initial thoughts were way off._ This guy's body looked anything but old.

"Sarah Walker, but call me Sarah."

"So your broke foots main squeeze? He is a lucky dude."

"Broke foot? Why do you call him that?" Sarah really wanted to know why he was calling Chuck that.

"It goes back to when we first met. He had a broken leg at the time. He called me old," White said with a small laugh. "I looked right at him and said yeah I am, but I ain't broke. It got him to laugh. It looked like he could use some cheering up."

"Chuck told me the story about how you two met for the first time. I'd like to thank you as well for helping him out back then."

"Just doing my job," answered White. "It's a joke I use. At my age in the Army the young bucks see me as old. Which I am. The thing is many of them have some kind of profile, job related injuries and such. So when they call me old, I say to them, yeah but I ain't broke. I'm just lucky I guess. Some of us old heads use the term broke dick to describe soldiers with profiles. In mixed company I clean it up a bit, hence the broke leg nick name."

"That makes sense to me. So when did you get in?"

"A couple of days ago. Kinda pissed me off too when I got the call."

"You got pissed because Chuck asked for your help?" Sarah was getting mad at that thought.

"Hell no! Helping Chuck will be a blast. I was finishing up setting up a date with a young chick and my phone went off. It was some General on the phone, Becker, Buckingham or something like that."

"Beckman, maybe?" suggested Sarah.

"That's it. I'm horrible with names of people I don't deal with. She tells me I have been called to active duty. I've heard that a few times before, just not from a General. Then she tells me I have to be at Ft Meade the next day to meet with her." Then he began to go off, "I mean really, what's the hurry? Didn't she know I was seconds away from sealing the deal? I mean this chick was hot! Long legs, dark brown hair and piercing green eyes. And her body…" he stopped in mid-sentence when he saw Sarah give him a strange look that appeared to say, and your telling me this why? "Sorry, guess you didn't need to hear that part." This was said with a laugh.

"No not really. Then you ended up here."

"Yep, pretty much. After a brief stop to see the General and get read in on the basic's I caught a flight here. I do expect to hear the true reason I'm here and not the reason the General gave me."

"Let's take a walk. You can tell me what you were told and I'll fill in the blanks." Sarah said as she turned to leave the room.

"Hey Sarah, you might want to rethink that plan a bit."

"Why?"

"Well it's not up to me, but if I were you, I would want to change from what you're wearing and into some regular clothes. You don't want all those men out there to suffer a heart attack do you?" this caught her by surprise for two reasons. The first was White was so calm and relaxed about everything that he eased any concerns she still had about him being on the team. Second she realized that all during their talk he never once checked her out, he just looked at her eyes the entire time. Third she forgot she was still in her workout clothes consisting of tight spandex shorts and a sports bra. _Yep I'd better change._

"While I go change you should hit the showers. You'll stink up Chuck's office if you don't."

"Sounds like a plan to me. I should only be about twenty minutes. I'll meet you in the War Room."

A short time later they were seated in Chuck's office and the explanation began. White was the first to go.

"General Beckman told me I was coming here to support Chuck's team of analysts. I knew that was crap because of how we met. There is no way an analyst would have been where I found him."

"That's true. Chuck and I are CIA Agents, sort of. That's all I can tell you for now. He requested you for a special mission. One of our agents has been stuck in an undercover operation for a long time. We have received information on her location and we plan to extract her and bring her home. We have a plan in place to do that. It will be a dangerous mission and we may not get out alive."

"Sweet! So I'm not going to be babysitting some analyst like Beckman said. You just made my day. Now that I have a better understanding of what's going on let's go grab Chuck from where ever you have him stashed and get some lunch."

"What makes you think I have him stashed somewhere?"

"Easy, he's not here. I saw the other agents in the War Room, some of them are smoking hot. I'd want to keep him all to myself, well if I went that way."

"You're too much. Chuck and I are in a monogamous, loving relationship. Neither of us has to worry about the other fooling around."

"Good to know. That being said, you think Chuck would mind if I had a go at some of them? The little blond caught my eye." this caused Sarah to laugh out loud.

"Shouldn't you be chasing someone a little more your age? She's barely twenty five years old."

"Nah, I'd be afraid I'd kill em. I may be old but I'm still fully functional. No little blue pill for me."

"Ok, way too much information for me. Let's go grab Chuck." She could hear White chuckling all the way out to the car, mumbling about how easy it was. He yanked her chain but good. _Yeah she thought, this guy will make things interesting. He's like an older male version of Carina._

When they made it back to Chuck's place after lunch Chuck filled White in on every detail. This surprised Sarah to a small extent. The only thing Chuck did leave out was the part about him being the Ghost. Other than that he laid all the cards on the table and offered White one last chance to back out. White of course declined after he stopped laughing. He simply said he was tired of fighting in the sand and this was a much better deal. After all, how many times do you get to save somebody's mom?

**Volkoff Industries**

Mary was counting down the days. Her freedom was just a few weeks away. While she was pondering that thought Alexi came into her office and told her that Waytt would be here in a few days and he would be bringing his girlfriend with him. He wanted her to run a check on the name Elizabeth Coates. Within a few minutes Sarah's well put together undercover identity popped up. She was wanted in Texas for murder and several states for armed robbery and assault. Minor charges for drug possession were also in her file. Her know associates included Tony Waytt. Alexi told Frost to let Waytt know his girlfriend would be welcome to join him. Frost made the call to Waytt. Alexi figured he was getting two killers for the price of one.

**Echo Park**

Chuck and Sarah were packed and ready to go. White would follow them on a commercial flight the next day. They set up a plan on how to communicate with each other during their time in Russia. When they landed at a private air field on the out skirts of Moscow, Alexi and Frost were there to meet them. After the normal pleasantries were exchanged they went back to Volkoff industries.

"Nice place you have here Mr. Volkoff," Stated Waytt.

"Thank you, Waytt. I have you living arrangements ready for you. You two will be staying in the building across the street from this one."

"Excuse me or being bold Mr. Volkoff," Liz began. "I would feel much better if we lived away from here. The less I know about what goes on around here the better. I don't want you sending someone like Tony here after my ass because I know too much. I've seen firsthand what he can do, I like my life just like it is now, alive."

"She does have a point Alexi," added Frost. "Waytt is just your enforcer. The less he knows the better. They can get some place close to here where if you need either of them it won't take long for them to get here."

"Frost, that's why I love you. You're always keeping my best interest at heart. You two will stay here until I find you a suitable place to live."

"Thank you Mr. Volkoff," was said by Waytt and Liz.

**Echo Park**

**Morgan **

Morgan was given his first assignment by Shaw, he was to take pictures of area around the ISA building. His main tasking was to get pictures of Sarah as she entered and left the building and who she left with. So far things were not going well. He only had a few pictures and those he had taken a while ago. He gave up for the time being because she hadn't been around for a while.

**CIA** **Headquarters **

Graham was pleased with the work Larkin was now sending back. He already sent in the names of several high ranking Fulcrum members. They tried to bring them in but the agents refused to come quietly and were killed in the resulting firefight. There were several more recruits waiting to receive the intersect upload but were put on hold when the system crashed. It would be a few weeks before it would be ready again.

**Volkoff Industries.**

Over the next few days Alexi and Frost showed them around the compound. Waytt and Liz were impressed at the size of the place as well as what was taking place. They were also taking notes on where certain things were located. They found what looked like the server room in the main building. White was making his own plans as well. He was in possession of the toys that Orion had designed for Chuck. He wasn't having a good time at all. The TV shows stunk and were in Russian to boot. The sooner he got out of here the better. He formulated his own plan.

A week later Waytt and Liz moved into their new place. They told Volkoff they wanted to do something nice for Alexi and take him to dinner at a five star restaurant. Frost enjoyed the company of the two new employees and he saw her eyes light up at the thought of going to dinner with them. He would do anything to keep his frost happy. Part of their plan was to get Alexi more at ease around them. It would make it easier in the long run. When they left to change they sent a message to White with the information he would need. Once they arrived in Russia he became there shadow in case something went wrong.

Alexi arranged for a private room at the Ararat Park Hyatt Hotel and for the meals to be ready when they arrived. The two couples were enjoying their meal while Volkoff's armed security detail stood around and watched. Midway through the meal the door bust open and a man in a suit came in holding what looked like a game system in his hands.

"Mr. Volkoff, Mr. Volkoff, "the man said in a panicked voice. Waytt and Liz were in shock at seeing who it was. Frost was just stunned. The armed security detail pulled their weapons as did the other three members sitting at the table. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! No need to get violent, here. One of the guys at the office sent me over here with this to give to Mr. Volkoff. He said it's an important message from a contact in the CIA." He held out the device he was holding.

Volkoff rose from his chair wait an angry look on his face. "CIA, the bane of my existence. What's the message?"

"He said to tell you the CIA is sending some agents to get you. He sent their pictures over on this," He said holding out the electronic device he was holding. "He said just hit the green button and the picture will come up. Then hit the arrow key to see the next one."

Volkoff grabbed the device and pressed the button. Different color lights illuminated Volkoff's face and his eyes were locked on the screen. It was over in a couple of seconds. Volkoff slumped back down onto the chair he was sitting in. He had a dazed and confused look on his face. He spoke to the only person he recognized.

"Mary? Mary Bartowski, where are we? And who are the rest of these people?" his voice sounded nervous and not like Volkoff at all.

"Mr. Volkoff, Hartley, Sir. Can you please tell your men to stand down, guns make me nervous," asked the messenger.

Hartley looked over at his men and spoke, "Please gentlemen lower your weapons, and the others will lower theirs as well." Moments later calm had been restored to the room.

"Hartley, what is the last thing you remember?"

"Stephen and I were working on a project as you know. I tested it out and then everything is pretty much a blur after that." no sooner had he finished the sounds of a tranq gun being used were heard. The security team was slumping to the floor.

"Guy's I hate to break up this party but the more those guards hear the harder it will be to do what you three have left to do," the messenger said as he pointed at Chuck and Sarah. "I would suggest you get to Volkoff industries as fast as you can and get to work. Save the damn twenty questions till we're on the way home. I hate this place. I haven't seen a good piece of tail since I got here."

They started to plan their exit when the messenger began shouting, "Mr. Volkoff was attacked!" at the same time he was dragging Hartley towards the exit, followed by Chuck, Sarah and Mary who by now were going along with what was happening and had drawn their weapons. "The men that did it are in the room. Call the authorities! Hurry Mr. Volkoff we need to get you to safety."

They ushered him into the waiting limo ad sped toward Volkoff industries.

**AN: This chapter kind of grew from where it was supposed to, lol. I am trying to keep the chapter lengths about the same. I am breaking this chapter up into 2 parts. **

TBC in chapter 13.


	14. Chapter 14

**AN: I am by no means a review hog. I have noticed over the last few chapters less people are reading the story. If there is something you would like to see let me know and I'll see if I can improve on what I have finished. The next 4 chapters are done and 18 is in the works. Please take the time to review, it means a lot to the writers. Thanks again to those taking the time to read this work. I hope you enjoy it.**

Chapter 13

As the limo sped to Volkoff Industries Sarah was the first to speak, "White, what the hell were you thinking back there?"

"Judging from your reaction not much. What's the big deal we got her out didn't we?"

"We're the spies here not you!" Sarah was almost screaming at this point. Chuck made an attempt to calm her down but it went un-noticed. "We had a plan in place and you changed it without even telling us!"

"Thank God I'm not a spy then. I learned a long time ago not to go up against superior numbers and weapons with inferior numbers and weapons. Seems to me you have to be an idiot to be a spy." Sarah was about start up again but a glance from Chuck and the hand being held up by White stopped her.

"The moment I signed on with you, you became my team. I'm not gonna let ya get your selves killed. I was your back up in case things went south. Well tell me exactly how that would have worked if you were inside that fortress? It wasn't going to happen. No way in hell. It was a tactically unsound plan. It had to be done where there was the best chance of success. Hence the restaurant. If things went south you had two things going for you, first you had equal numbers and weapons, second you were already outside the fortress. If that device failed to work you could have still grabbed his ass and run for it. Inside what would you chances have been? Slim to none and slim was heading for the door."

Hearing White's explanation seemed to calm Sarah down. The three spies looked at each other and began to realize that the sergeant was right. He had made several good points they had either over looked or passed off because it didn't fit into how they were trained. Once again Chuck's ability to read people, and the faith he put in them had paid off.

"And when exactly was I supposed to get the plan to you? I did what I did because I felt it needed to be done. You can send my ass back if you want, it makes no difference to me. We have half of the job done. When we get back to Volkoff Industries, Chuck can work his magic with the computers and we can get the hell out of Dodge." His speech over White relaxed against the back of the seat and closed his eyes.

The rest of the ride was used to explain to Hartley what had been going on for the last twenty plus years of his life. He was skittish at best. They explained exactly what he would need to do to convince the guards he was still himself. They really didn't expect trouble because he was only gone for a few hours. Mary led him to the server room and used her pass word to open the door. Once inside Chuck took the USB drive White had been holding on to and inserted into a USB port. According to Orion it would self-extract and allow him to start hacking into the system. Once he cracked the password he would forward the information to the Sentinel's hackers and crackers and the ones at the CIA and NSA. It would only be a matter of time before all the data that was needed to bring down the evil empire that Alexi Volkoff had created. Chuck sent a text message to Orion and Ellie, it was simple yet meant the world to those that were about to get it: Package is safe and secure. Waiting for shipping to be arranged.

Almost as soon as the message was sent, a reply came in from Ellie, Thank you. It was followed up by one from Orion; I can't wait to see the package. Working on the information you requested.

White the ever observant one, motioned to Sarah and Hartley to join him on the far side of the room. Once they were he spoke softly to the pair, "I think it might be a good idea if we gave them a few minutes alone." Sarah just nodded her head and walked to the door with Hartley and White. They left the room and waited in the hall.

Back in the room, without the eyes of the others around to see, Chuck walked over and hugged his mother like his life depended on it. Mary was no better off. This was the day they had waited on for many years. They both shed tears of both joy and relief. Both of them were glad that White gave them a few minutes alone.

In the hall Sarah was going over the events of the day. She gave some more thought to what White said in the limo on the ride back. She knew in her heart that White was correct in what he did; it was her mind that was having a hard time accepting it. All her training was geared towards impossible odds missions, one against many, depending only on her skills to survive. She would have to talk with White about it and now seemed as good a time as any. Her thoughts were interrupted when the door opened and Chuck motioned for them to come inside.

Once they were all together again Chuck took hold of Sarah's hand and began to speak, "Sarah Walker, I would like to formally introduce you to Mary Bartowski, my mother. Mom, I would like to introduce you to Sarah, my girlfriend, the woman you thought I would never find. She is more than that to me than that. She is my everything, my second half." The emotions of the day finally broke through on three of the people in the room. Chuck, Sarah and Mary were now in a group hug and the tears that each had tried so hard to hide rolled down cheeks like the water off a ducks back.

When the hugs ended Mary took both of Sarah's hands in hers and looked right in her eyes. Mary began to speak, "Sarah, I know the kind of life we live as spies. It can be a hard and lonely one. It can destroy you. Don't make the same mistake I did." She glanced at Chuck before continuing, "You two have something special, I can see it in both your eyes. I know you're a good spy, but Chuck's better. I know he doesn't need protection, I'm asking you as his mother keep him safe. If I know Chuck at all, he'll keep you safe as well."

Sarah touched by the heartwarming speech pulled Mary into a hug and whispered, "I will."

They gathered up some things that Hartley thought held some sentimental value for him and packed them up. Hartley grabbed his personal laptop he had used as Volkoff to look at later. Now it was just a matter of getting home. Hartley didn't understand what the big deal was. He had a few private jets at his service. Mary accompanied by Hartley went to her room to gather a few things of her own. It didn't take her to long. There was nothing there she really wanted. The things she wanted were standing right in front of her and waiting back in the states. Hartley made a few calls and the flight was arranged. They would swing by the place Sarah and Chuck had called home for the last few weeks, grab their stuff and make their way to the airfield to complete the final leg of their journey.

On the way to the Airfield Chuck sent another simple text to Ellie and Orion: We're coming home with the package and a long lost friend. Ready to board private plane now, flight leaves in minutes. Chuck sent Ellie a private one as well. It simply said: just like Sarah it's time.

**Echo Park**

Ellie and Devon were enjoying a rare day off together. They were cuddled on the couch watching the credits roll on the movie they had just watched. Ellie's phone vibrated on the coffee table and she went to pick it up. Devon grabbed her hand and said, "Babe don't answer that, it may be work calling you in."

"No Devon, I have to answer it, it may be Chuck with some news about the job he's on." She picked up her phone and saw the first message. The shout and pitch of the "YES" she let out just about ruptured Devon's ear drums and left him wiggling his finger in his ear to clear the ringing. It also made half the animal population in Echo Park stop what they were doing and look around for the origin of the annoyance. She then threw herself at Devon grabbing him with all her strength as the tears streamed down her face. All Devon could make out was Mom and home. It made little to no sense to him. After several moments she pulled back and checked out the other message from Chuck. She looked up at Devon and gave him a wry smile and dragged him to the door.

"El, where are we going in such a rush?"

"Chuck's place, I have a surprise for you."

"Uh...ummm, El do you think it's a good idea to ah…do that…in Chucks place?" he was fumbling for the right thing to say.

"It's not for that you goof." She used her spare key to enter Chuck's place and led Devon to the secure room. Once the door was closed, she turned to Devon and said, "Don't freak out"

**Morgan and Shaw's Office.**

Things had been going pretty good for the new team of Ring Agents. Morgan turned out to be quite good at infiltrating places and planting bugs. For Morgan's first solo mission, he was given the story that a local bank was the front for a terrorist group. They would need to get ahold of the accounts the bank was responsible for. Morgan would place a small device on the Ethernet cable going into the manager's computer. The Ring would then have access to all the information on the servers. Shaw had him play the part of a wealthy businessman who wanted to open a large account. Morgan played the part to perfection. He was in and out of the office within an hour. Morgan was on the top of the world when the Ring Director called Shaw and told him the mission was a complete success and his new recruit was better than he was lead to believe. What Morgan didn't know was within two hours after he completed his mission the Ring began emptying the largest of the accounts.

**Fulcrum Base**

Bryce was ready to put his plan into motion. He had all the information he needed. He dated and slept with a few analysts to get the information he needed. He now had the plans for the building that housed the Intersect. These plans included the alarm systems, air ducts and sewer system should he need to enter from below. He would make his move around the Fourth of July holiday.

**Grahams Office**

In two weeks he would have his Intersect up and running again. The new Intersect hosts were anxious to get going. They had seen the results Bryce was getting and could not wait to use it. They were not the same as Bryce, but in the end power corrupts almost everyone. The week after the holiday had been selected as the upload time frame.

**Volkoff's Plane**

Chuck got up from his seat next to his Mom and motioned for Sarah to follow him. Mary and White were sleeping and Hartley was looking at files on his laptop. He took her into a small cabin at the rear of the plane normally used by the planes staff. Sarah noticed Chuck seemed a bit off, nervous she guessed.

"Sarah, we need to talk."

_OH GOD she thought. Those are the three words nobody wants to hear. Nothing good ever comes from them._ She nodded her head and prepared herself for the worst.

"I know this may not be the best time for this discussion. We've been together for a while now." Chuck paused to catch his breath. _Why is this so hard?_ "I'm tired of going to your place or having to wait for you to get to mine. What I want to know is will you move in with me? Or I can move in with you, it doesn't matter as long as we're together." _There I said it._

Sarah was stunned, _will you move in with me,_ echoed around her head for a few seconds. She was trying to get her brain to accept what her ears had heard. She realized she had lost the ability to speak she was so happy. She did the next best thing and nodded.

"I'll take that as a yes?"

"Yes, yes I'll move in with you. My place is too small and you already have the secure office." She was on him in a second, her hands tearing at his clothes and his at hers. They were kissing with as much passion as they could. They had just removed each other's tops, when there was a loud knock at the door.

"Hey love birds," White's voice boomed through the door, "we're going to land in a few minutes to refuel. You need to get your asses out here and strap in," then he laughed.

Chuck looked at Sarah and spoke softly, "when we get home and things settle I promise we will finish this."

"You better mister. We have been holding back for too long. Now I understand why, but no more waiting after tonight. We're all in from this point on."

The couple picked up their clothes and got dressed. A few minutes later they entered the main cabin. White, looked up and nudged Mary, then pointed at Sarah and said, "You missed a button."

Sarah looked down and as soon as she did Mary broke out in fit of laughter. Sarah glared daggers at White, all he did was shrug his shoulders and say, "your too easy." Everyone took their seats and prepared for the landing.

**Echo Park**

Ellie had Devon sit down on one of the chairs in the office. She remained standing, and then began pacing the room as she spoke.

"Devon, there are a few things I need to tell you. Big things, as in they can never be talked about anyplace other than this room or where are going after I say my piece."

"Babe you're scaring me. What could be so bad we can't talk about it except in certain places?"

"I'll start off small. I'm a CIA agent."

"You're WHAT?" Devon was shocked by this piece of information.

"Please wait till I finish, I will explain it all. I'm not a field agent which means I don't go on missions. I'm the on call Doctor who heads a medical team that works on agents that get injured on the job."

"Ok well that's not too bad, I can live with that. You still could have told me."

"No I couldn't and here's why. You know Chuck has been trying to locate our Mom and Dad right?"

"Sure, you want to know why they left."

"Actually that was a lie. We knew where they were for the most part. My Mom is an agent with the CIA. Twenty years ago she went on a mission and got trapped with no way out. The text I got earlier told me she was on her way home. They got her out yesterday. She is inbound as we speak."

"That's great news. That's why you were crying after the message."

"Right, now let me continue. Sarah is also with the CIA. She is a field Agent. So don't ask about her missions." She was ready to go but Devon interrupted again.

"Does Chuck know?" Devon blurted out. His head was starting to swim a bit by now. It was almost a bit too much to take in.

"He better, he's her boss and partner." Ellie noticed Devon's eyes had glazed over and he was starting to list to one side. She got him bottle of water, which he took. "Chuck is one of a kind; in fact he is the only one of his kind. Chuck is not CIA; he is farther up the food chain than that. He belongs to a covert group in the CIA called the Sentinels. He is also part of Mossad." This last bit was too much for Devon to handle. The thought of Ellie's goofy kid brother was Mossad sent him into the twilight zone and he fainted dead away. It took Ellie a few seconds to get Devon back to normal.

"Devon are you going to be ok?"

"I think so. I mean it's not every day you find out you girl is a spy, her mom is a spy and well almost everyone you know is a spy. Is there anyone I know that's not a spy?"

"Morgan isn't and that guy White isn't one either. Even though Chuck says he should be. I need to make a call about Mom, but I can't make it here. We need to go to the war room to do that."

"War Room? What the heck is that?" asked Devon.

"It will take too long to explain, so I'm going to show you. By the way, it was Chuck idea to fill you in. I was happy leaving you in the dark. As the saying goes paybacks are a bitch."

"That I don't understand and don't want to. So take me to the War Room."

It was the longest short ride of Devon's life. They pulled up in front of the ISA building. Devon started to ask a question but a glare from Ellie cut him off. They entered the building and headed to the War Room. To say Devon was impressed was an understatement. He was in awe of what he was looking at. Ellie walked up to Agent Sanders and spoke.

"Agent Sanders, please get me General Beckman on the line, when that's done please get everyone out of the room, Chuck's orders."

"Yes Ma'am." Within minutes the room was empty except for Ellie and Devon. The General appeared on one of the large screens.

"Agent Bartowski what can I do for you?"

"Are you alone and secure?"

"Wait one." Ellie could hear the sounds of people moving about then a door shut, "Beckman alone and secure."

"The Information I have for you is way above you current clearance level. Director Smith has Ok'd you to hear this information. Upon completion of this briefing you are to report to him for a complete read in and update to you clearance. Is that understood General?"

General Beckman could feel the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. She was not used to being addressed like this by anyone, let alone a civilian who just happened to carry the title of Agent. Something in the back of her mind told her she better listen and do as she was told. Who is this Director Smith she wondered?

Devon was even more confused than Beckman. Ellie walked into the place like she owned it and was talking to a General like she was a kid.

"I agree to those terms Agent Bartowski. Please proceed."

"Director Smith runs the covert group in the CIA known as the Sentinel's. He answers only to the President. His best Agent is stationed here, Code Name, Ghost. I'm sure you have heard of him." Ellie watched as the General nodded her head before she went on. "Some time ago we picked up information on a lost CIA Agent, Code Name Frost. Twenty years ago she went undercover to take down Alexi Volkoff. Several months ago the Ghost and his team went undercover into Volkoff industries. I am proud to tell you that as of yesterday afternoon we have secured Agent Frost. We have Alexi Volkoff in custody. His system is being hacked by our best man. Once he gets the codes broken the NSA will start getting all the data we have on Volkoff Industries."

General Beckman was absolutely stunned. They had been after Volkoff for fifteen years or more. Each time they tried to get inside they failed. This group had done what no other agency had been able to do. Bring down Alexi Volkoff. She needed more information. While not being able to publicly recognize their achievement it could still go in their files.

"Ellie, can I have the names of the Agents who pulled off this impossible mission?"

"Yes Ma'am. Sergeant First Class White, United States Army. Sarah Walker, Special Agent of the CIA and Sentinel Agent Chuck Bartowski AKA The Ghost. If you need confirmation on the Ghost contact Director Smith, he is expecting your call and visit."

_The Ghost was Chuck. It didn't make sense. I've dealt with him so often I lost count. She started looking back over time and like a light coming on it hit her. Each time she requested the Ghost, Chuck would have to do a big job somewhere and come back almost right after the mission ended. Damn._

"Is there anything else Agent Bartowski, if not I will head over the Smiths office."

"Two things General, First, do not mention the return of Frost to Graham. Her situation is still fluid. Second, Chuck requests immediate transfer orders for Sergeant White to the NSA and promotion to Master Sergeant, effective today."

"Consider it done. I'll need to pull a few strings on the promotion but it will get done. Let Chuck know I will also put White in for a decoration for his part in the mission. To think that the sergeant I sent over a couple of months ago took part in one of the biggest intelligence coups ever boggles my mind. Wait till my people hear that. That's all I have. I better go see Smith."

"Good idea General, Bartowski out." The call ended when Ellie hit the button.

"That was awesome Babe!" gushed Devon. It had to be the wildest thing he had ever seen.

"There's a lot more to see, but I need to get the Agents back in here before we start." Ellie called the agents back and gave Devon the entire tour. He did have one question for Ellie.

"El, I kind of have an idea about spies. Just how good are they?"

"That's a hard one to answer but I'll try. Sarah is one of the top Agents in the CIA, Chuck is about three levels above her. To put it in terms you can understand, my brother is the Wayne Gretzky of spies."

In two different places, one in the air and one on the ground the same thoughts were in everyone's mind. It won't be long now before our family is back together, and God help anyone that tries to get in the way.


	15. Chapter 15

**AN: normal disclaimers as usual. many thanks to all of you that have read and reviewed this story. **

Chapter 14

Ellie finished giving Devon the tour of the ISA. He was impressed by the Med Bay. He figured it would rival the best trauma centers in the country. Elli explained to him about the staffing as well. He was giving some thought to offering up his services as well. Once the tour was over they went home and tried to get some sleep before the plane carrying their family would land.

When the plane landed at LAX it was taken to a remote hanger. When the hanger doors closed the pilot was given the go ahead to open the planes door and let the passengers deplane. When the group exited the plane the saw a large motorcade composed of black SUV's with tinted windows. An agent was standing by each vehicle. The second Mary hit the floor the doors on the second vehicle opened up and Ellie came running out, heading straight for her Mom. Another tear filled reunion took place. Chuck and Sarah walked over to the agent in front of the lead car.

"Chuck Bartowski, Agent Walker, courtesy of General Beckman. The General has received orders to report to the ISA for a visit. She will arrive in a few days."

"Thank you Agent. I'll gather the crew and you can take us home," Chuck informed the Agent.

After loading up the crew they made their way back to Echo Park. They dropped White of at his place on the way. Sarah and Mary convinced Hartley to stay at Sarah's place because she would no longer need it. It would give her a chance to pick up some things she would need. Mary would be staying at Ellie's of course.

The now re-united family spent several hours getting to know each other again. Within limits they exchanged war stories of their past they missed. Finally it was time for Chuck and Sarah to head home for some much needed sleep.

Back in their place they headed for the bedroom. Once there they began kissing and hugging each other. It wasn't driven by desire or lust but from love. They slowly removed each other's clothes, savoring the view as they were slowly visible to each other for the first time. Soon there was skin on skin contact and their desire grew into a flaming passion. This was the moment they had both been waiting for, the final expression of their love for each other. Their love making was slow and tender, each of them enjoying the feel of the other. It would take a while before they both drifted into a deep satisfied sleep.

They spent the next couple days moving Sarah's things into Chuck's apartment and getting back into a normal routine. After the last couple months it was a welcome relief. Sarah understood more about Chuck's required time off after missions. It was the first time since she became an agent that she felt this relaxed after a mission. Knowing she would be on the sidelines for a few weeks allowed her to decompress. Of course she reasoned the night time activities might be helping as well.

She did have one regret during those first couple days. They had gone to the ISA to work out. In the gym White was working out on the heavy bag. Sarah decided it would be a challenge to spar with someone that just worked on boxing techniques. White declined the offer at first but Sarah insisted. The session began shortly after that. Sarah was landing blow after blow, most of which were blocked by Whites arms. He would respond with one or two shots to her arms. He soon doubled up the number off punches. It wasn't long before Sarah felt her arms beginning to weaken. She started using her legs more as the bout went on. She had him lined up perfectly for a round house kick. Just as she started he stepped inside and hit her midsection with a couple of left hooks, followed up by a right upper cut that left her dazed.

White knew the condition of his opponent and backed off. "Ok you wore the old guy out. You happy now?" he turned and headed to the locker room to shower and change.

Sarah knew exactly what had happened. He had accepted her challenge and won, and allowed her to walk away with her head held high. To those in the Dojo, it looked like she had indeed won the bout because of the number of hits she had given out. She knew she had taken more punishment. Chuck was right again, this guy was special.

Chuck was seated in his office going over some files when Sarah walked in. He noticed she was moving like she was in a little pain. He motioned for her to sit down which she did.

"You alright?" asked Chuck.

"I will be in a few days."

"Care to explain what happened?"

"I went into the gym to work on the bag and White was in there killing it again. I guess I was still a bit mad about Moscow. I still felt like he showed us up back there. So I figured I'd show him what a spy could do." Sarah explained.

"You didn't? Crap you did."

"Yeah I did. We went into the Dojo and began to spar. I hit him with everything I had. He blocked most of them I think."

"Let me guess what happened next. He pounded your arms till they felt like lead weights. Then you went to more kicks."

"Right, how do you know? Anyway I saw the opening I was looking for and made my move. He stepped inside and hit me with three punches. The first two literally took my breath away and the third knocked me silly."

"He did the same thing to me, only he knocked my ass out. I should have warned you."

"That wouldn't have mattered, I wanted a piece of him and I was going to get it. He surprised me by just backing off and said I wore him out. The Son of a Bitch barely broke a sweat. He let me save face in there."

"Yeah, he's like that. He says he hates being in the spotlight. He knew you knew you were finished and that was good enough for him."

"He has a weird way of fighting though. What sane person lets himself get hit that many times before he fights back?"

"I asked him the same thing. He told me when he was younger he used to watch Joe Frazier fight. He would get hit three or four times for every punch he landed, but he could hit you twice as hard as you hit him."

"Well he's right about that. I can't remember ever being hit that hard before."

"Neither had I before we spared. It's time to get the General and show her around."

As they were walking through the War Room they were joined by White. "Do you guys mind if I tag along? It seems the General requested all of us."

"No problem, White," answered Sarah as they headed to the door. She did a double take after looking at what he was wearing. She lowered her voice and said, "Thanks for in there," motioning to the Dojo with her head.

"It's cool, you kicked my ass and they needed to know it." Sarah shook her head at his remark and let it drop.

The General arrived shortly after they arrived at the airport. She immediately spotted Chuck and Sarah who were dressed it what could be described as business casual. The third member of the party was another story. The General was flabbergasted at the way her new agent looked.

"Sergeant White, why the hell are you dressed like that?"

"Like what?" he did indeed look confused.

"Do you think that Cut off jean shorts, flip flops and a tee shirt that says, I ain't broke, is appropriate dress for a meeting?"

"Sorry Ma'am just trying to blend in with the locals." The general was leading the way to the baggage claim area as the rest followed. White in a voice loud enough for Beckman to hear turned to Chuck and Sarah and giving them a sly wink said, "Good thing I didn't tell her I went commando today." They could swear they heard the Generals jaw hitting the floor.

Once back at ISA they gave the General the ten dollar tour. Beckman didn't recognize anyone on the third floor. Chuck explained that the third floor was actually his business. He really did sell and install sate of the art security systems. The second floor was used by the analysts and the first floor was the War Room. They eventually ended up in Chuck's office. They filled her in on the day to day operations and how things worked.

"You have a very well-run operation here. I have some good news for Sergeant White. Effective one July you will be Master Sergeant White, TDA to the NSA assigned to Chuck."

"Thank you Ma'am. I'll do my best to uphold the traditions of the Army."

"I do expect you dress more appropriately than you are now."

"With all due respect Ma'am, that's nuts. Sarah once told me I'm not a spy. She was right, I'm not and don't know how to be one. Maybe I'll learn, who knows." He said with a shrug of his shoulders. "What I do know is how to blend in. If you see me walking down the street like this you just see an old guy trying to be young again and forget about me. If you see me wearing a suit or dress clothes you think I may be someone important so you pay a little more attention to me the next time you see me."

"Very well, if Chuck doesn't have a problem with how you dress it's alright with me. Moving onto another important matter," she paused and looked at White and asked, "Is he cleared?"

"This is my stop General, I'll leave you secret squirrel types to talk behind my back," and he left the room.

"Is he always like that?" Chuck and Sarah were grinning from ear to ear. Twice in one day White had managed to shock the General.

"Pretty much," answered Sarah. Between Chuck and Sarah they filled the General in on the complete operation except the Intersect, both of them.

Morgan felt he had waited long enough to see Chuck. He had been home for a few days now. His problem was the she devil never left his side. Today he got his chance. He was camped out in his usual spot when he saw Sarah leave the building with an older guy. She was laughing at something he said and was leaning up against him as well. He snapped off a few pictures to add to the collection. Chuck appeared soon after and headed towards his place. Morgan followed right behind him. Morgan waited a few minutes after Chuck went into his place before knocking on the door. Chuck opened the door and let Morgan in.

"This is a surprise Morgan. What brings you to my humble abode?"

"I have bad news for you Chuck. Sarah is cheating on you and I have proof." He tossed an envelope on the table and motioned for Chuck to look at the picture in it. Sure enough there were lots of pictures with Sarah and other guys. "I just took these now, seems she doesn't care how old the guys are." He showed Chuck the pictures he just took.

"What the heck Morgan!" Chuck shouted. "Why the hell have you been following Sarah around?"

"She's no good for you man, trust me I know women. She's going to break your heart."

"You know women? This is coming from a man that hasn't had a serious relationship in his life. And how exactly is she going to break my heart?"

"Are you blind or just stupid Chuck? You saw the pictures what more do you need? Just then the door opened up and Sarah walked in and headed to the table they were sitting at.

"Hello Morgan, how…" She stopped in the middle of her sentence when she saw the pictures on the table. "What are these?"

"Pictures of you cheating on my friend. I even have some new ones of you and that old guy you were with today."

Chuck and Sarah were fast approaching the 'I'm going to kill him stage', well Chuck was. Sarah was leaning more towards the, I'll cripple him stage. He was already useless from the neck up. Taking a few seconds to compose themselves, Sarah wanted to know why he was following her. She pulled a knife from its hiding spot and stabbed one of the pictures with it.

"Now Morgan, tell me exactly why you are following me?"

"You want to know, fine I'll tell you. A while back I was going to the burger place I like and you were all lovey dovey with this long haired freak," he was pointing to the picture of Chuck in his Goth gear. "Once I knew you were cheating on him I followed you. Now I do it as part of my job."

"Your Job? Since when does the Buy More have people followed?" inquired Chuck.

"Not the Buy More Chuck, I quit that a few months ago. I got a better offer, a much better offer."

"Why don't you explain it to us then maybe we'll understand why you are following me?"

"A few months ago I went to the arcade to clear my thoughts and go over what you two said in the Buy More that day. I was killing some zombies and I met this guy. We started hanging out and he offered me a job. I did some training with him and got my badge. Chuck I work for the CIA." He pulled out the wallet that held his badge and identification card.

Chuck was taking a sip of his drink when Morgan made his claim did a spit take. Sarah almost fell off her chair. They quickly put Morgan's following Sarah on the back burner. She snatched the wallet and carefully looked it over. Then she passed it to Chuck, who did the same. Now it was Chuck's turn to talk.

"Morgan. Do you think it's a good idea to tell people you work for the CIA? I don't know a whole lot about the spy business but it can't be good to let people know what you do."

"Chuck it's only you, who are you going to tell?"

"Morgan, Chuck's right if you do work for the CIA you should keep it quiet," added Sarah. _We need more information she thought. This should be easy, we would know if Morgan was with the CIA._ "Sounds like you grew up just like Chuck told you to. So where do you work from?"

"We have an office downtown. When I'm not on missions I do some training and play video games. I can't tell you much more. Shaw said I could only tell you I worked for him. He did tell me to ask Chuck if he wanted to join us."

"Morgan why would I want to do that? I have my own company to run, I can't be running around playing James Bond."

"Chuck, think it over please? We can travel the world together taking down bad guys. We can be together again like before." Morgan paused for a second pretending to think about something. "I have a better idea! Hire me to work with you; I'm sure I'd be able to get you the latest and greatest toys that could help your company."

"I'll think about it. Now you better head home, Sarah and I are going to dinner at Ellie's."

"I'll see you later then. Remember to think it over Chuck. It could be an opportunity of a life time."

"I will Morgan, take care and try to keep your job a secret." Moments later Morgan was gone and Sarah and Chuck were locked in his office making a call to the ISA.

"Sanders here Chuck what do you need?"

"I need all the information you have on Morgan Grimes. I'm sending his picture now, run it through all the facial recognition programs we have. Also do I a check on any agents with the name of Shaw, cover or otherwise. I need the information like yesterday."

"You got it boss. I'll text you if we get any hits on the names."

"Thanks Sanders, Chuck out."

Turning to Sarah all he could say was, "That sucked."

"I guess you didn't flash on him, so what's our next step?" she asked.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I don't have anything on either of them. That worries me a bit, but the system is not perfect and things slip through."

"I suggest we go eat and worry about it in the morning."

"Sarah, I like that plan. I wonder what Ellie is making for dinner?"

**AN2: Keep in mind that in this story Sarah's red test did not take place. She was benched during the time it happened in canon. Like I said in the beginning, a small change in the past can have a big effect on the future. If you feel like it hit the button that says review!**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: Thanks for all the reviews! I am glad you guys are enjoying this story. The plot thickens again. Reviews good or bad are welcome. I'm posting this early because I want to watch the Phillies game in a few hours. The next update should be Sunday unless I decide to post early. Regular disclaimers apply.**

Chapter 15

The next few days went by in a blur for the new couple. They finally got Sarah moved in to Chucks place and they called it home. Stephen contacted Mary and arranged a place for them to meet. Mary departed soon after that and promised she would be back in touch after she got re-acquainted with her husband. She figured it may take a month or more, they had a lot to catch up on.

Just as Chuck and Sarah feared nothing turned up on Morgan. Chuck assigned an agent to do surveillance on Morgan. The name Shaw popped up twice, one was male and the other female. Both were working for the CIA. Daniel Shaw was on extended leave from the agency for medical reasons. His wife Evelyn was currently at the farm as an instructor. They ruled the wife out as Morgan's partner. Sarah remembered working with Eve when she first started with the agency. Her husband was a total ass. She told Eve she could do better.

**July 2006**

The day Bryce had been waiting for had finally arrived. Under the cover of darkness Bryce entered the Intersect building. He was slowly making his way through the Intersect building to the server that held all the data. The information he had acquired was letter perfect. With the acquired data and the information in his head he made quick work of all the security features. He entered the room and started the download. The one thing Bryce didn't know was the NSA had just installed some new cameras in the room. He was being filmed as he worked. He wasn't paying as much attention as he should have been and tripped a silent alarm. He did notice a strange light on the panel and prepared to leave. He planted the explosives he decided on at the last minute. There was no way he was going to let Graham make more intersects, he was the only one and it would stay that way.

The download completed and he started phase two of his plan he was just about to hit the send button when shots rang out. He was grazed on the left arm before he could return fire. Once he took care of the agents he sent the e-mail and made his escape. In his haste he dropped the device he was carrying. When he cleared the building he activated the explosives and watched as a major portion of the Intersect building collapsed. He would return to Fulcrum a hero for dealing such a damaging blow to the CIA and NSA.

At almost the same time General Beckman and Graham were informed of the damage done to the Intersect building. Beckman called in her go to Agent Major John Casey, and told him to meet her there. Graham decided to go alone until he could assess the damage. Even though they arrived at different times it was not a big deal. They would have to wait until the area was deemed safe. Once inside they found the device Bryce had used damaged beyond repair. Graham received a call from one of his people.

"Director, we intercepted a signal from the Intersect room a few hours ago. We tracked down the IP address of where it was sent. The location is in Echo Park. One last thing, the video footage is mostly destroyed but we did get a shot of the person responsible for the damages."

"Don't keep us waiting, can you identify the person responsible"

"Yes Sir, it was Bryce Larkin."

"Thank you agent I'll pass on the information."

"What do you have Graham?"

"Bruce Larkin stole the Intersect and destroyed the facility. He sent it to someone in Echo Park. I need to head to my office and put together a plan to get it back." He was gone in the blink of an eye.

**Beckman's office**

"Major Casey, I need you to head to Echo Park and poke around. When you get there wait for further instructions. John, I need you to be careful when you get there. Things may not be as they seem."

Making a small grunt, he told the General, "Yes Ma'am. I'll notify you when I arrive. Will that be all?"

"Yes, remember Major be careful." Casey responded with a grunt.

**Graham's office**

Graham picked up his phone and dialed the number of one of his best agents.

"Walker Secure"

"Sarah we have a problem, Larkin broke into the Intersect building and stole the Intersect. He sent it to someone in Echo Park."

"Sir, what does that have to do with me?"

"I believe he sent it to someone he knows, Chuck Bartowski. They did room together in college. I think Chuck may be giving Bryce information. I need you to keep an eye on him for now. Beckman will probably send Casey." The longer Graham went on the harder it was for her not to roll her eyes.

"I'll keep a close eye on him Sir. Walker Out."

Graham was now in panic mode. Larkin could not be considered an agent for the CIA. He had indeed turned to Fulcrum. That was bad enough and the only person that stood a chance to bring him in was on another team with another agency. All of his finely crafted plans were in the toilet. Several of the CIA's better agents had died because of his decision to Intersect Larkin when he knew Bryce was loose cannon. There was no way he would get the position as head of the DNI. Hell he'd be lucky to keep his job. He had to hope he got to keep his life.

**Echo Park**

Chuck and Sarah had just woken up and were going about their morning routine. Chuck went to his office and opened up his public e-mail account. He saw he had an e-mail from Bryce. He yelled to Sarah to hurry up and join him. Once she was there he showed her the e-mail.

"Graham called me last night with the news Bryce stole the intersect. He thinks he sent it to you. He wants me to keep an eye on you, a close eye by the way." She moved in for her morning kisses.

"Good to know. If I open it and it is the Intersect and it's the old version and would probably cause me trouble. I will have my technicians check it out before I open it. They are doing it remotely as we speak. I should have an answer soon."

"I'll go start breakfast while you wait."

"I'll be there in a minute." It was several minutes before Chuck got his reply. Bryce sent him the Intersect. Now he just had to figure why? He went into the kitchen to eat breakfast and tell Sarah what the techs found.

"Sarah, Bryce did send me the Intersect, and like I thought it's the old version. Can you think of a reason why?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he's trying to get back at you for some reason?"

"That could be. I wonder if it has to do with me keeping from you becoming his partner. We did think that he was having a bad time with the Intersect."

"True, what do you have planned for the day?"

"I want to head over to the Large Mart and pick up a few things we need, other than that not much." At the Large Mart Chuck flashed on a guy know to be an explosives expert. He filed it away for future use.

Later that day they made plans to go to a club with Ellie and Devon. It was supposed to be a fun night and it was until Casey and a few other Agents showed up at the club. Casey and his crew began advancing towards the group. Sarah nudged Chuck to alert him about the situation.

"Let's see what Casey wants before this gets out of hand," Sarah suggested. Chuck took her hand and walked over to where Casey was.

"Casey"

"Walker"

"Let's take this outside where we can talk, leave the goons here," offered Chuck.

"Who's that Walker? As for the goons, they go where I go so deal with it."

"He's my boyfriend, where I go he goes. Deal?" Casey nodded in agreement and made his way to the door. Chuck explained to Ellie what was going on and headed out with Sarah. Outside the meeting started.

"Walker, we have information that your boyfriend may have received some valuable Government information, we would like it back."

"Sorry Casey that's not going to happen. The information was destroyed before I could look at it," said Chuck.

"I don't really care; I'm supposed to bring you in." Casey said while drawing his gun. His men followed suit. This lead to Sarah drawing her weapon as Chucked just watched. _No need to blow my cover for this dumb shit._

"Casey I got him first so he stays with me," stated Sarah. Casey blinked a few times and slumped to the ground. Sarah noticed that his men were also on the ground. Standing behind them tranq gun in hand was White. Sarah raised her eyebrow looking for an answer.

"These guys were poking around you place earlier today. I saw them when I stopped by to see Devon about a white water rafting trip he is planning. When you left they followed you. I figured they were agents but didn't know if they were the good or bad kind, so I followed them. When the guns were drawn I decided to intervene on your behalf."

"You do realize you just tranqed a group of federal agents," Sarah asked.

"Better to be tried by twelve than carried by six. At first I thought they might be asking for your help to guard the General that's speaking at the hotel tonight. Guess I was wrong."

"What General?"

"Stienman, Seinfeld or something like that. He's talking at some conference downtown."

"Sarah we've got to go. I know what's going on, I'll explain in the car."

"You two go do your secret squirrel thing and I'll wait for the sleeping beauties to wake up."

**Hotel**

It would take a few minutes to get to the hotel. Once there they got there they went right to the hall where the speeches were being given. They noticed an un-attended food cart sitting near the stage. They rushed over to it and found the bomb they were really not hoping to find. There was a large amount of explosive material tied into a prism express laptop.

"You have any idea on how to defuse that thing?" she said while tapping the side of her head.

"Nothing up here," he tapped his head, "but I do have an idea."

"Well get on with it we only have about 3 minutes before we're nothing but a fine red mist." Sarah watched as Chuck opened the browser and typed in the magic words.

"You're using porn to defuse a bomb? Really Chuck?"

"Looks like it doesn't it? I was at the Buy More the other day and overheard greasy and light socket talking about some virus that was going around. This laptop was the most susceptible to it. They were getting a rush of ruined laptops. Seems like a boat load of people like this Chick." The entire time he was talking he was clicking on various links. Once he got the right link the screen began to flash and the computer died. There were just a few seconds left.

"Nice work Chuck. But how did you know it would work?"

"I didn't but it seemed to be our only option. We need to call this in and see how Casey is."

**Alley behind the club**

Major Casey and his team were just starting to come around. The first thing Casey noticed was a guy standing over him with an amused look on his face.

"I see you and your boys had a bit too much to drink tonight. When I found you, the bunch of you was piled up all over each other like puppies looking for a teat."

"Yeah must have been the scotch that got us." Casey was still trying to clear his head as were his men when he noticed his distinct lack of clothing. His men were in the same condition he was. "What the Fuck!"

"Dude, don't ask me. I found you like that. I figured it was a strange place to have an orgy but hey what do I know. I would suggest the next time you all get frisky; you go to a hotel or something."

"That's not what we were doing for heaven's sake."

The stranger just shook his head and said, "Makes no difference to me. You men have a good night. I was just hanging around until you came to. Good night gentlemen, and have fun later," this was said with a wink. The grunt Casey let out could be heard in Texas.

**Chuck and Sarah's place**

White decided to stop by Chuck and Sarah's place to find out what the heck was going on. Sarah answered the door and led him to the secure room.

"So boss what was the visit for tonight? You guys seemed to know each other."

"Last night, Bryce Larkin, a former CIA agent broke into a secure Government building and stole a program known as the Intersect. They think he sent it to me. So they came to get it back."

"Huh, makes no sense to me. Why didn't the General just call and ask you?"

"In this business lying is part of the game. So she had to send someone to check me out."

"Well night then, see you love birds in the morning. One more thing," White pulled a SD card from his pocket and handed it to Chuck. "You may need this in the future." As he was leaving Chuck put the SD card in the computer and looked at the pictures on it. Their screams of WHITE echoed around the complex. When they finally stopped laughing, Chuck moved closer to Sarah and whispered, "love bird's ehh? Sounds good to me." within minutes they returned to their bed room to prove him right.

The three of them were standing in Chuck office when General Beckman made an early call to Chuck. She wanted to see if he made Contact with Casey. Chuck explained the events of the previous night. With a rogue CIA Agent with a working Intersect aligned with Fulcrum she wanted his help. She explained that Fulcrum was growing bigger and more powerful every day.

"General we would be glad to help you take down Fulcrum. Do you have a team in mind or should I put one together?"

"Chuck, I want Major Casey on the team and anyone else you pick. I know you have to keep the fact you're the Ghost under wraps, but do try to keep my agent in one piece. He can be a bit rough."

"No problem General. Chuck out."

"Looks like you guys have a mission, so I'm going to head to the gym while you guys make the plans. Holler if you need me." White said as he got up to leave.

"Sit your ass down White," said Sarah. "You're part of this team as well. When Casey gets here we can work on it together."

"Sure but I want to make one thing clear. You know I'm not a spy and don't think like one either. So you folks will have to cut me some slack until I get used to how you guys work."

"You may not have the training we do, but you already think like one. That move you did last night was brilliant. Using the tranq's was a good idea," commented Chuck.

"Well I don't like guns or violence so it seemed like a good idea to me." Chuck and Sarah both rolled their eyes at this. Chuck's office phone rang; it was the desk at the main door informing him Casey had arrived. Chuck had him escorted down.

Casey was let in to Chuck's office. Chuck and Sarah were standing waiting for him and a third person was sitting with his back to the door playing with his phone. Sarah began the introductions.

"Major Casey, NSA this is Chuck Bartowski CIA handler for the agents you passed by out front. The gentleman at the desk," this caused White to turn around. With a full blown grin he interrupted Sarah. Sarah and Chuck had the same thought _this can't end well_ "Major Casey it _was_ you in that dog pile last night? Don't worry your secrets safe with me."

"Look you moron, I told you last night it wasn't what it looked like."

"Major, I understand don't ask don't tell, but when I see a bunch of half-naked men in a pile it does tend to make me wonder."

"Major Casey this is Master Sergeant White, Army, NSA." It went downhill from there.

The briefing was over soon and the Major left the office to get his badge that would allow him access to the building. While Casey was gone White had a few questions of his own. "Is the mission to catch Larkin a kill on sight or catch and restrain?

"For now consider it a capture mission unless it's necessary to kill him," stated Chuck.

"Good, now on the Fulcrum front, same rules?"

"Play it by ear. Whatever the situation calls for."

"Awesome, well if that's all I'll be in the gym." With that he left. Sarah turned to Chuck and said, "That is one crazy bastard."

"I'm just glad he's leaving us alone. Is nothing sacred to him?"

"I guess not. Casey will be back soon and we can talk to Beckman. What do we do about Graham?" asked Sarah.

"For now nothing, we work with him until we get Larkin then sever all ties. I have a feeling it will take care of itself in time."

Casey returned and the team started working on a plan.


	17. Chapter 17

**AN: Same disclaimers. i hope you like this one. thanks to all that reviewed. enjoy**

Chapter 16

The days following the Intersect fiasco were taxing for the newly formed team. Casey was having a hard time dealing with Chuck. He never did get along with civilians that well, especially the analysts. White had hardly been around, claiming they didn't need him for the planning portion. He said that he just follows orders. So when they came up with a plan to let him know.

White was jogging along a running trail at Balboa Park. It was good for him to get away from the city for a while. He wasn't used to all the hustle and bustle of a bigger city. Plus working in the tomb they called an office sucked. He was starting his fourth mile when he felt his phone vibrate. Without looking at who was calling he answered breathing heavy as he did.

"Your dime my time, what do you need?"

"Beckman secure. Is that how you answer your phone?"

"Sorry General, I didn't check to see who was calling. I'm alone but in public."

"It seems the Department of the Army requests your presence. There was nothing I could do. There is a unit deploying to Afghanistan in a few weeks. They need a good communications NCO and you're it. I have let Chuck know already. There is a flight waiting for you at a private air field. It will leave when you get there."

"Ma'am I respectfully request permission the say goodbye to my former team before I leave."

"Permission granted Sergeant. Have a safe trip and happy hunting. Beckman out."

White finished his last mile and headed back to his place to shower and change. When he finished cleaning up after his run, he packed up his few personal items, donned his uniform and went to the ISA. Clipping his badge on for what he figured to be the last time he headed to the War Room in search of his former partners. The AIC pointed him towards Chuck's office. He knocked on the door and waited for the call to enter. The three agents were still going over there plans to draw out Bryce.

"Sergeant White good luck over there. Kill a few for me," said Casey holding out his hand. White took his hand and shook it. It was one warrior wishing another warrior luck before a battle. Chuck was the next to say goodbye.

"We didn't work together very long but you are one of the best I ever had the pleasure of working with. Looking back on our mission to retrieve my Mom, it was your plan that allowed it. I now owe you twice. If you ever need anything call me on this phone. It will work anywhere in the world. Good luck Agent White."

They shook hands and White put the phone in his pocket and moved in Sarah's direction. She moved towards him and instead of shaking his hand she gave him a big hug.

"When I first read your file I thought they were nuts for sending you here; when I met you I knew they were nuts, and so were you. Then we worked together and I saw who you really are. You rescued a man you didn't know and took a bullet keeping that man safe. You saved an entire mission to save someone's mother. It's not just a job to you Agent White, it's a way of life. Thank you again for what you did years ago. Stay safe over there. I will make sure you find yourself back here when your tour is over." She hugged him again and left the room. It was the most Chuck could remember her talking to anyone that was not family.

"Thanks guys, I really enjoyed my time here. I'm sure our paths will cross again. It's a small world after all." He turned on his heels and left the ISA turning his badge in along the way.

Chuck knew where Sarah would be. When she felt stressed she would often go to the quiet room for some alone time. She was seated in her normal spot staring at the wall. He walked over to her and held her in his arms.

"I'm sorry Chuck but it's just not fair. He has given so much and asked so little in return. He was a great addition to the team. I know Casey will be a good addition but he's no White."

"Sarah, just like us he chose his life. He's damn good at it too. You don't get all those medals by being a dud. When he says our paths will cross again I believe him. This is the second time I crossed his path and I'm convinced there will be another."

"I hope your right. I looked at his orders when they came in. He's being attached to a special forces unit." She paused for a few minutes to gather her thoughts and calm down a bit. "I'm done for the day. It never bothered me when I switched partners before. Since I met you my life has changed in a big way mostly because of you. White had a small part in it as well. I just need to go home and relax in front of the TV. Do you want to join me?"

"I'll tell Casey we're leaving for the day and he has the office. He can assign the agents for a few days. It will give me a break." They held each other for a few more minutes before they left.

**CIA training facility aka the farm**

Evelyn Shaw was sitting at her desk between classes. She requested time off from the field to get her life together after her divorce from her toad of an ex-husband. He left her ass for dead during a mission they were on in Germany. There had been an explosion and she got caught in it. She was rushed Landstuhl Medical Center for treatment. It was there that she met the love of her life. She had been slightly disfigured by the explosion. He had been injured in Iraq and was recovering as well. They began to get along. He didn't care if her face was messed up, he liked her for her. Over the next few months they began to build a strong friendship. He left to go back to his unit while she continued her rehabilitation. She would need reconstructive surgery on her face and chest. She was thankful the CIA had the best plastic surgeons in the world working for them. She was reading some gossip magazine when she found her new look. Her new man would be pleased.

Her secure phone rang but she didn't recognize the number.

"Evelyn Shaw speaking how can I help you?"

"Hey babe it's me! How are you doing today beautiful?"

"Just fine and you?"

"Hanging tough as we say. I need a favor and if you agree I'll get it cleared."

"What do you need?" he explained the favor and she agreed. Later that day she was told her mission was a go then she would return here to the Farm. For Evelyn Shaw life was finally good.

**Echo Park**

The next few weeks went by at a snail's pace. They were no closer to finding Larkin or the Fulcrum base he operated out of than they were weeks ago. They started to rework their plans when an e-mail came in to Chuck.

It was from White: tell everyone I'm fine. The internet sucks over here, lol. I had an idea on how to lure Larkin out of hiding. I used a contact I have that's good at hacking into things. I set up a meeting for an Agent White of the NSA to meet Larkin in three days. He wants to join Fulcrum. No I won't be there, lol. There will be somebody there however, she is a civilian. Picture Jenny McCarthy with long hair. If Bryce is as big a pig as you said he was, he'll be all over her waiting for White to show. She will excuse herself and leave. All you need to do is follow him. The meet is scheduled at the White Dog Café, 34th and Samson St. Philadelphia in three days at noon. Good luck. MSG White. P.S. like the name of the place! Tell Casey I'm up 7-0.

Chuck was stunned by this turn of events. They had come up with some good plans, but none of them seemed likely to get results. It didn't help of course that they had rejected any plan that used one of them as bait. The location was a big plus. It was located far away from where they were. They knew Larkin was probably keeping an eye on Sarah and they still had to worry about what Shaw was doing. If they were on the same side it could ruin theirs plans quickly. He printed a copy and handed it to his partners who read it over.

"Son of a Bitch," mumbled Sarah. "All the way from the stan and he still comes up with a way to help. Damn."

"Chuck I know it sounds good, but can White really be trusted?" asked Casey who was playing devil's advocate. Chuck moved with quickness and speed Sarah had never seen him use before. Chucks eyes had turned completely black and his face was hard as steel. She knew the second it happened that she was looking at the Ghost. One of the most feared agents in the world. Casey's face was planted on the table he was sitting at and a knife was poised at his throat. Chuck bent over and put his mouth near Casey's ear and spoke in a voice so cold it could freeze Hell.

"Choose your words wisely from now on Major. If I hear one more negative comment about White from you again, it will be the last comment you ever make." He pushed the knife deep enough to draw a trickle of blood from Casey's neck. "Did I make myself clear Casey?"

Casey was in complete shock by what was going on. His thoughts were all over the place. In that single moment I knew what it meant to see your life flash before your eyes. All he could do as grunt his answer.

"Now get the hell out of here before I do something I don't want to do." Chuck released his hold on Casey and moved away. Casey didn't need to be told twice and left as fast as he could.

Within seconds Chuck's face and eyes returned to normal and his breathing slowed down. Sarah went over and took his hand and led him to the couch where she pulled him into a hug to offer what comfort she could. She knew Casey had just crossed a line that he didn't even know about. She knew he would never make that mistake again.

Casey wandered around the War Room wondering what just happened. He was told Chuck was just a handler who sometimes went on missions for support. After what just happened he knew the type of support Chuck was capable of. It was the kind you didn't give by staying in the van. Chuck's eyes scared him the most. He had never seen eyes turn that dark before. He felt like he was looking into the eyes of the devil himself. Maybe he was.

**Fulcrum base**

Bryce just received some good news via e-mail from a contact in the NSA. Another agent was ready to turn. The best part was he didn't need to fear a trap. The team that was looking for him was in California and the meet was in Philly. He would meet this agent and get him started. His plans were almost complete. After he recruited White he would take out Graham and Fulcrum's agent, Bob Marshall, would take his place. Within a month the CIA would be under the control of Fulcrum.

**Shaw's office**

Shaw had been keeping a close eye on Agent Walker through Morgan. The little man was working out better than he had hoped. He had her entire schedule figured out down to the minute. The only problem was she was never alone. Her boyfriend was always there. If he wasn't it was Major Casey. He really didn't care. He had a trump card up his sleeve. He had been giving Graham a bunch of information on the Ring so it looked like he was the Ring expert. When Fulcrum fell and it would, he would then be put with the best team of agents out there. He would soon be teamed with Sarah Walker, the bitch who convinced his wife to leave him. He would pay her back with interest. Even if it killed her.

**Secure location (unknown)**

A solitary figured walked down the deserted halls of the decrepit looking building. Taking a set of hidden stairs he entered a darkened room and faced towards the front. He stood in front of the table that had several figures sitting behind it. Two were male and two were female. He was the first to speak.

"Frost, Orion, Beckman and Smith, now that I'm here what do you need?" his voice was cold and threatening. There was no need for formalities at these meetings. He was here to get his targets not make friends.

"Gabriel we have a few pests that need exterminating," two files were tossed on the table in front of him. He opened each one and looked tem over.

"When do you need the pests removed?"

Frost was the one to answer, "The top file needs to be handled first, then the second one. We need it done soon, within the week if possible."

"Consider it done. Then I'm going home for a while. Frost you understand, don't you?" He turned from the people in front of him and left the room.

Orion turned to the rest and said, "I'm just glad he's on our side."

"If he wasn't we would be in a world of shit," was Beckman's response.

**Echo Park**

With the Bryce meeting starting to weigh on their minds Chuck decided to do something to ease the tension they were starting to feel. He decided a nice dinner and night at a piano bar would be a good thing. He made reservations at a nice Italian restaurant in Los Angles. He would save the last part he saved until he saw what kind of mood his girlfriend was in.

When they arrived at the restaurant and were seated Chuck noticed Sarah had finally started to relax.

"This was a really good idea Chuck. I think we were both getting a bit edgy waiting to see how the meeting with Bryce goes."

"That was the motivation behind tonight. I hear they have really good veal dishes here. I'm trying to decide if I want the Pasta Primavera or the Veal Scaloppini with Morel Mushrooms."

"They both sound really good. I'll go with the Scaloppini and a side salad."

"Then I'll go with the Pasta and we can share some of each. I'll have a salad also."

The meals soon arrived and they were as good as expected. They enjoyed being able to just relax for a change after the week they were having. When they finished their meals Chuck took them to a piano bar near the beach. They got a table that faced the Piano's so they could enjoy the show. On the stage there were two pianos facing each other. The men playing them would take requests along with a small fee. They would play the songs both trying to outdo the other one. The fun really started when two rival schools started giving more and more money to have their schools songs played, or dueling pianos. One man would get more money and switch, then the other go more and he would switch. For the schools it was good fun and for the men it was a good payday. Every so often they would switch out with another pair of pianists and the fun would start over. As they drove home they both agreed it was just the break they needed.

They both needed to shower after being in the club for several hours and decided to save water and shower together. In their relaxed state they began washing each other's bodies. One thing led to another and soon the sounds of their love making could be heard throughout the apartment. When they finished in the shower they headed to bed and began all over again. The next morning they both agreed the night before was one of the better ones they had.

**AN: The Gabriel in this story is not the same as in futures past. I just like the whole Arch Angle of Death thing the name has going on. Thanks again for reading and I hope you enjoyed it!**


	18. Chapter 18

**AN1: **It was brought to my attention that I may not have made some things clear to the readers. I have made an attempt in this chapter to clear that up. I'd like to thank Jinxed97 for bringing it to my attention. Thanks again to all that have read and reviewed. One thing I will point out, at this point in time Chuck is still trying to keep up the appearance his is just a handler.

**AN2: **I'm getting ready to wrap this story up. Would you folks like the ending to be similar to that on the show or would you like to see it end in a huge fireball of destruction or somewhere in between? Let me know.

Chapter 17

Chuck assigned Agent Jones of the NSA to tail Larkin after the meeting in Philadelphia. Bryce knew the three of them pretty well. Jones would report back which flight Bryce was on and another agent would take over in each city until he got to his base. They would then devise a plan to catch him and bring down the cell. They had a few days before the meeting was to take place.

Beckman and Graham held a briefing to hand out a mission.

"Team, we received word that Larry Benet is holding a party tonight. He owns the company that supplies a good deal of ammunition to the Armed Forces. There is a good possibility that Fulcrum will attempt to make contact and force him to supply them as well. Larry has a daughter, Joan who will also be in attendance. It is our guess that Fulcrum will make an attempt to kidnap the Daughter to force Benet into supplying the Ammo." Graham informed them.

"Chuck you will be a guest and attempt to get close to Joan to ward off any Fulcrum agents. Casey you will be a bartender and Sarah you will be on the Hostess staff. Any questions?" finished Beckman.

"No Ma'am," all three answered at once.

"Your transportation has been arranged and the invitation will be in the limo. Good luck team." And the pair on screen disappeared.

"This should be fun," quipped Chuck. "Normally I just hang back here and wait for the results." Sarah gave an inward chuckle at her boyfriend's comment.

"We should get going the party starts in six hours and we need to get ready."

Later that evening the team was in place at the Party. Casey was tending Bar in his standard bartender outfit. Sarah was making her rounds asking the guests if they required a drink. Chuck had yet to arrive. He decided it would be good to arrive fashionably late. It would also give the two agents time to check out the ballroom before he arrived.

Sarah noticed his arrival out of the corner of her eye. He was dressed in a very nice charcoal grey suit and dark blue shirt with a grey tie. He headed in her direction.

"Can I get you a drink Sir?" she asked.

"Thank you miss, I'll have a Crown Royal neat. If a can say you look lovely tonight Miss."

"It's Loni Sir, in case you require another drink later on." She left and returned a few minutes later. He was standing alone looking out over the room. "You look good tonight Chuck. So good in fact I can't wait to get you home and out of that suit."

"You look nice as well; those pants really look good on you."

"I'm glad this is a legitimate party. The times I had to work parties throw by degenerate sleaze balls I had to wear uniforms that barely covered my ass."

"I can see that as a problem." Chuck caught the sight of Joan wandering around the room and excused himself. He walked over to Joan and began to fumble with his drink a bit. When she got close he took a large sip and pretended to cough. She rushed over to him and lightly patted his back.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine I think. I'm Dan by the way. Thanks for helping me out."

"That's good to know. I'm Joan, Mr. Benet's daughter. Would you like another drink?"

"I'm good for now, but thank you. This is a nice party your Dad is hosting."

"It's nice but incredibly boring. The music could put you to sleep. The men are a bunch of pompous jerks as well. Would you like me to show you around?" This took Chuck by surprise. He was just supposed to keep an eye on her not hang out with her. _This can't end well he thought._ As they made their way around the room he began to fumble over his words.

"Walker, what's Chuck doing?" Casey asked over the comm link. "He's gonna blow the whole thing."

"Relax Casey, for him it's normal. When we first met he explained that when he's around women his brain has trouble engaging his mouth. We dated for about three months before he stopped doing it around me."

"You two are dating? Why didn't you tell me?"

"Casey we live together. What did you think was going on?"

"I thought it was a cover of some kind so you could keep an eye on him. He is rather high up on the handler scale."

"Our bad. I think we need to have a talk after this. Besides after the other day when he damn near killed you, do you really think Chuck needs me to protect him?"

Chuck was enjoying the nickel tour of the place when he saw three men walk in. his left eye twitched for a second as the flash passed. Two of them were Fulcrum and the third was an associate of Josh Miller. He excused himself from Joan to use the bathroom. He spoke into his wrist mike.

"Guys I hate to break up your chat but our guests have arrived. The two men in the cheap black suits are Fulcrum, the other guy used to work for Miller. I'll take care of the assets you guys take the Fulcrum guys." He clicked off his mike and made his way back to Joan.

"Joan, can I speak with your father for a moment? I would like to that him for inviting me to such a splendid party."

"Now I know your full of it Dan, you're as bored as I am."

"A truer statement has never been said. Now let's meet your Dad." The couple headed to where Mr. Benet was chatting with his partners going over a business deal of some kind.

"Dad," Joan interrupted, "This is Dan, and he wants to speak with you."

"Mr. Benet may I speak with you a second away from your friends?"

"Guys I'll be right back, we can talk in my office down the hall." When they stepped away from his partners Chuck began to explain.

"Mr. Benet, I'm Special Agent Dan Wilkerson of the FBI." He handed his badge to Benet to check out. "We received a tip that someone was planning to kidnap Joan. I was sent here for her benefit. The people that want her just arrived so I need to get you two out of here. My people will take care of them." Chuck raised his arm and spoke into his watch again. "I have the Benet's with me. The men are following us. I'll lead them outside where you guys can pick them up."

"Chuck lead them out the service entrance, it should be the second door on the right in that hallway. We'll be waiting outside."

"Roger Sarah I'll see you in a bit." He continued to lead the Benet's down the hall and to safety. They were being followed by the two Fulcrum agents. He began speaking to the Benet's "When we get outside, listen to me and you'll be fine." They both answered yes.

Sarah and Casey quickly made their way to the service entrance and waited. The Benet's were the first people through the door followed by Chuck. Chuck led them about twenty feet before he heard the door slamming open. He pushed the Benet's to the ground and told them not to move and it would be alright.

Sarah took the first agent to exit the door, knocking his pistol away with her left hand. She followed that up with a solid right to the agents jaw. He was stunned but still able to fight back. The agent threw a few punches and jabs that landed. Sarah used a straight right hand and followed it with a snap kick to the man's chest. When he bent over she used the upper cut White had shown her. He went down for the count. She flexi cuffed him and waited for Casey to finish up with his guy.

Casey didn't fare as well as Sarah did. He did not possess the same martial arts skill Sarah had so he relied more on brute strength. His fight soon resembled a street fight with punches coming in hard and fast. It took a few extra seconds but Casey finally got the upper hand and forced his opponent to the ground.

When the fighting had stopped, Chuck called in the team to pick up the two agents. He then called the local police to come get the former associate of Miller. It had been a good night for the new team. The Benet's thanked them before they left. They went back to the Hotel they would stay at until morning when their transportation back home would be available.

"Beckman secure, but sleeping."

"Walker Secure. We intercepted the Fulcrum agents before they could get to the Benet's. They are both in custody and being transported your way as we speak."

"Very good work team. I want a full report when you get back. Now let me get back to sleep. Beckman out."

"Casey that's your cue to leave," stated Chuck.

"Not so fast lover boy. I need some answers before I go."

"We'll tell you what we can Casey, you know the drill," supplied Sarah.

"You're CIA, but Beckman keeps giving you missions and not Graham. Second, Chuck identified both those Fulcrum guys tonight, how? And finally you two are dating?"

"Let me explain the last one first. Chuck and are not just dating we live together, big difference. We can because this ties into the first. I used to be CIA, well still am but it's complicated. On paper I am still a CIA asset and if needed and approved by my boss I do missions for them. I work for the combine known as the ISA, which Chuck runs. Dating and relationships are not only allowed but encouraged."

"Beckman is our main contact for the agencies we support," explained Chuck. "With Bryce on the loose and Graham's part in what happened we don't trust him. For the second question I have what some people term instant recall. If I see something there is almost a one hundred percent chance I will remember it. I run the ISA and review most of the data that comes through. I recognized the men from reports that came across my desk."

"That information would have been good to know a few weeks ago," and he gave a grunt of displeasure.

"True, but we have been in a state of flux since then," added Sarah. It was beginning to make Casey's head spin the way they would pick up exactly where the other left off. "We lost the best partner we ever had and a good friend right after you got assigned to us. Add in the Intersect getting stolen by Bryce and sent to Chuck well you can see why we might miss a few things along the way."

"I can understand that. From now on I expect to be kept in the loop. I feel like the fat kid on the block and don't like it."

"I guess I should start now. We have an ongoing investigation concerning Daniel Shaw and Morgan Grimes. They have been following us for some reason. For now we are letting them gather information on us until we can find out their motives. We are trying to find out if it's personal or they are reporting in to some agency rogue or friendly. When we get back I'll fill you in on as much as I can. There are several things we need to keep secret but are working on getting approval to release to you," filled in Chuck. "Now you really need to leave so Sarah and I can get some sleep."

"Sleep my ass. If the way she was looking at you all night was any indication, you won't be getting much sleep," he laughed and headed to the door and to his room. He fired off a parting shot before he left. "I'm in the room next door, so keep the head board from banging against the wall. It's bad enough I know you guys are having sex I don't need to hear it."

"Well Chuck now that we're alone I need to get you out of that suit and into something a bit more comfortable."

"And what Sarah would be more comfortable, a fluffy robe?" he teased.

"No, me" and she did just that. They never had sex after missions they made love. Tonight would be no exception. It was slow and tender. When they were joined in the act of making love they could feel their souls intertwine and become one.

**East coast Myrtle Beach South Carolina**

Bob Marshall was enjoying his vacation. It was a time for him to relax and forget the stress from work. He knew he would need this time off now because in a few weeks he would become the next Director of the CIA. Bryce Larkin's plans of a subtle but hostile takeover of the CIA was just weeks away. He was taking his morning predawn walk along the beach. He enjoyed watching the sun rise up over the ocean as the sky changes colors from red to the deep blue of a cloudless day. He was so engrossed in his thoughts he never saw the Person exit the water and head his way.

A male body clad in a skintight black wetsuit exited the water and headed for the lone man on the beach. His target was walking along as if he didn't have a care in the world. He un holstered his silenced twenty two caliber pistol and moved behind his target. Two close range shots to the back of the man's head and he was face down in the sand. He went back to the point he left the water, donned his fins and made the mile swim to where he left his boat.

Later that day the news broke across every major network that the second in command of the CIA was found assassinated in Myrtle Beach.

**Same day Philadelphia, White Dog Café.**

Bryce caught the earliest flight he could to Philadelphia. He arrived about ten am local and hurried to get to the meeting he was scheduled for. When he arrived at the small Café it was just starting to fill with the lunch crowd. He noticed a stunning blonde woman sitting alone and sipping a coffee. He figured he would strike up a conversation with the woman, have his meeting and get laid all in the same day. He was just getting to the table when he noticed the TV behind the blonde. On the screen words flashed in capital letters: BREAKING NEWS…Bob Marshall CIA associate Director assassinated in Myrtle Beach…Details to follow. He turned on a dime and left. He needed to get back ASAP. His people were not going to be pleased.

Agent Jones spotted Bryce as soon as he neared the table. The look of utter horror on Bryce's face shocked the agent. The fact that Larkin didn't stay for the meeting was no surprise. He followed as instructed and waited until he had the fight information he needed. He called it in to the ISA. He would be flying nonstop to LAX.

**Echo Park/ISA**

It was barely five in the morning when the sound of both their phones ringing woke the sleeping couple. They answered in tandem, "Walker, Bartowski secure."

"Beckman secure, you two need to get to the ISA now. I have important news. Beckman out." Seconds later Chuck's phone rang again, this time it was Casey.

"Grab your girl and get to ISA now. Beckman's on the War path."

Within half an hour they were in the War Room and the NSA Monitor came to life.

"Just under an hour ago I received word that Bob Marshall, assistant Director of the CIA was found dead in Myrtle Beach. He was shot two times in the back of his head with a small caliber hand gun. Shortly after that I received a heavily encrypted e-mail from an unknown source informing us he was Fulcrum."

"What I need to know is could Bryce have been responsible for this?"

"I'm not sure General," Chuck assured her. "We will be able to give you a better answer in a few hours. He is scheduled to meet with one of our agents in about an hour. When we get his report I'll give you an update."

"Thank you, this is a bad day to be a director." She ended the call.

Several hours later they received the update from Jones. They called the General to pass on the information.

"General our man at the meet sight informed us that Bryce could not have done the hit on Marshall. His report indicated that Bryce was so stunned by the news he never met with our contact. He left when he heard the news and is in route to LAX as we speak. We have agents in place to follow him and find out the location to the Fulcrum base he has been using."

"That is very good news Chuck. When you locate the cell, contact me. I will put all the NSA assets at your disposal to monitor the base. I want video and audio surveillance on it. I want you to wait a few weeks before making a move. We need to identify as many Fulcrum agents as possible. This could be the break we have been looking for."

"We were saying the same thing General," added Sarah.

"Keep me informed, I have a feeling it will get worse before it gets better," she cut the call.

"Casey start making calls to get the equipment here and ready to go. Sarah contact Graham and see if he has any more information. I'll make a few calls and see what I can find out.

**I-95 South bound**

Evelyn Shaw was waiting for the person she was calling to answer.

"Hello Babe how did your meeting go?"

"It never happened. Earlier today someone killed the assistant director of the CIA. Bryce saw it on the news and got spooked. Easiest mission I was ever on. How about you?"

"Things are finally quiet here. I got word today that I will be rotated out early so plan on seeing me in a few weeks."

"You're coming home?" she could feel the tears forming in her eyes and was not trying to keep them from falling. She just got the best news in the world. Her boyfriend was coming home from the war.

"Yeah babe I am. When I do we are taking a vacation somewhere nice and quiet. I gotta run the chow hall is closing in a few minutes and I gotta eat."

"No problem, I love you."

"I love you too. See you in a few weeks."

**Secure location**

"Frost secure"

"Gabriel Secure by now you know one is down. Tomorrow its number two's turn. I'll be there by seventeen hundred. Gabriel out."

Frost turned to Orion and smiled. The plans he put into place were going just as they had planned. I a few weeks they would return to Echo Park and stay.

**The next day approximately 1200 hours**

Langston Graham had all his contingency plans in place. When he returned from lunch he would open all Bryce's files to the three letter agencies as well as the information on the Intersect. He would blame the Intersect on why Bryce went rogue. He left the sandwich shop he frequented and started heading back to work. He never noticed the small toy car that was located under his car. Robotic arms held the small car to his.

Trailing behind Graham was a non-descript older white Ford pickup. The driver dropped back so far that Graham's car was almost out of view. On the open road the moment the driver was waiting on arrived. There no other cars close to Graham's car. This was needed to ensure no collateral damage. The driver hit the button on the small black box in his hand. Graham's car exploded into a huge fireball and was sent crashing into the guardrail. All that was left was a burning mass of twisted metal. He was done. It was time to go home to the woman he loved and the job he was surprised he missed. He made some calls.

"Beckman Secure."

"The shit is hitting the fan get ready."

"Frost secure"

"Target is eliminated be there in two hours and bring your friends."

"Orion secure."

"Your toy worked like a dream. You need to make more."

"Smith secure"

"I'm coming in from the cold. Your offer has been accepted."

**ISA**

The news of the Directors death was spreading through the intelligence community like a wild fire in Texas, hot and fast.

The big three didn't need a call from Beckman on this, as soon as the car was found it was out. Being the biggest hub for data was a plus.

"Whoever did this was a pro," stated Sarah.

"It was in the middle of the road for cripes sake, and no other causalities," added Chuck.

"I never did like the man myself. He got what he deserved," observed Casey.

**Secure location**

The four people were again seated at the table awaiting the arrival of their guest. Almost at the two hour mark the door opened and the person they were waiting for came in.

"Gabriel, nice work out there today," stated Frost.

"You did us all proud today, now our work is just beginning. We need to end Fulcrum and the Ring to keep this country strong," added Beckman.

"We may need to call on you again Gabriel," Smith tacked on.

"No you won't Smith. You call on the team I'm going to join when I walk out that door," countered Gabriel.

"What team are you talking about?"

"Ask the General, I worked it out with her," quipped the agent.

"When we needed the services of Gabriel, he wanted a deal. He wants to be part of a team. He's tired of working alone. Specifically the one he was pulled from for this mission. For the first time he likes his team mates, so who am I to argue," explained the General. This statement sent a small shock wave through the others at the table.

"Are all my papers in order? The team I'm going to work for is pretty smart you know."

"Everything is airtight I did the hacking myself," confirmed Orion.

"Good, transfer the funds to my account as always. I have one request to make. I plan on getting married soon. I want my wife assigned to my team as an analyst. She is not going back in the field again unless it's with me."

"That shouldn't be a problem. What's your future wife's name and who does she work for?" asked Beckman.

"CIA Agent Evelyn Shaw. She is currently at the farm training new agents. I will be getting her in a few hours and we will be leaving the day after tomorrow, so make it happen quickly. I want to surprise my new team so keep the transfer quiet."

"That will not be a problem I can have her transferred latter today," assured Smith.

"That will be all then. I'm sure our paths will cross again. Just because I'm semi-retired don't be afraid to call." He waved to the panel and headed out the door and into his new life.

**CIA training facility**

William entered the lobby to the training facility and approached the desk.

"Hello Sir, how can I help you?" inquired the receptionist.

"I'm here to surprise my girlfriend Evelyn Shaw she works at this extension," he handed her a slip of paper and his ID card. "I want it to be a surprise, I just in for Afghanistan earlier today. Can you call her and tell her she has a visitor in the lobby?"

"I would be honored to make the call and welcome home."

Several long minutes passed until he spotted the love of his life walking towards him. He got up to meet her half way. She saw him stand up and her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. Her tears started the moment she saw him heading towards her. She took off and dead run and launched herself into his arms. Some of the people that were in the lobby heard the reason for William's presence and cheered loudly when they got together. Everything else was forgotten between them as the met for the first time in months. Talking would wait until later. She called her boss and excused herself for the rest of the day, only to find out she had been transferred to a new position and had to report there in two days. It didn't matter at all. Her man was home and that's all that mattered.

**Two days later ISA**

Eve entered the place she would call home for the foreseeable future. She had her orders in hand and her man by her side. Life was perfect as far as the couple was concerned. She was greeted by an agent sent to escort them to the War Room to meet her new Bosses. When they got there she was taken to Chuck's office and William was taken to the break room and given a drink while he waited.

Chuck opened the door and let the Eve in he began the introductions, "Welcome to the ISA, I'm Chuck Bartowski lead handler. The lady to my left is Sarah Walker,CIA agent and my girlfriend and Major John Casey NSA."

"Evelyn Shaw glad…" she was cut off by a shocked Sarah.

"Evelyn? How.. I mean you look…wow. How have you been?"

"Yeah Sarah it's me. I'll make a long story short. I left Daniel a while back after we talked. He left me for dead when a mission went pear shaped. I got sent to Landstuhl for treatment. I was really messed up bad. I was giving up on life by then. I met a soldier there who was injured in Iraq. We got to talking about everything and anything. He didn't care about the damage to my face or body. He liked me for me. I need to have a lot of work done to repair the damage to my face. We fell in love and he had to go back to his unit. He told me who his favorite actress was and this was my present to him. Of course it doesn't hurt she's drop dead gorgeous either."

"Well they did great work. I couldn't tell it was you. So when do we get to meet the lucky guy?" asked Chuck.

"They made him stay in the break room when they showed me in here,"

"Well I for one can't wait to meet him. I'm so glad you left that ass Daniel," added Sarah as they went to the break room. A lone man was sitting at the table with his back to the door. Eve went in first the others following close behind. Eve started the introduction.

"Guys I'd like you to meet my fiancée, retired Master Sergeant William White, US Army."

White was waiting for this moment since he entered the building. When Eve said retired he rose up and began turning around. The looks on his former team mates faces was priceless. They were standing there with expressions ranging from disbelief to joy. He said the only thing that came to his mind.

"Hey guys, miss me?" in true White fashion he smirked.


	19. Chapter 19

**AN: **Thanks for the reviews even the negative ones. To address some points brought up by Zach. Anyone that has reviewed this story knows I try to answer each review. Since Zach doesn't have an account I'll reply to him here. There is a difference between personalities and identities. Multiple identities were common in canon as they are here. Also from canon Sarah has two personalities or did you not notice Phase Three? One thing I used when writing this was actual experiences from my time in combat. My soldiers and I would laugh and joke while back at our home base, once we left the base and went on convoys or patrols we changed to dead serious. It's not a case of different personalities but of mind set. That's what I tried to bring out with Chuck/Ghost and White/Gabriel. Thanks for your input on the actual writing. I can use that to improve my writing in the future.

Chapter 18

"So Bill, this is the team you were with before you deployed?"

"Yes it was. I just hope they will take me back."

"Are you nuts," asked Sarah. "We never wanted you to leave. But you had orders to go."

"White, on behalf of the team welcome back," Chuck stated in a firm voice that left no room for argument. "You guys will need to process back in, it won't take long. When you two finish up meet us in my office we can use Evelyn's help on a mission were are running."

The groups separated from that point. Chuck and his group went back to the office where they discussed their returning team member.

"Well we have our contact from the Bryce mission in Philly," stated Sarah "Seems Eve was already working for us before today."

"What makes you say that," asked Casey.

"White told us in the e-mail to picture Jenny McCarthy with long hair. Well you just saw her, they could be twins," explained Sarah.

"Do you think she will be able to help us with Shaw?" questioned Chuck.

"That I can't answer, it's been a while since we spoke."

Later that day all parties were once again sitting in Chucks office going over the plans to get rid of Bryce and when that was done go after Shaw. Evelyn and White laughed at that, which caused a few raised eyebrows around the table.

"Sorry about that but hearing you say you want to get of Shaw when a Shaw is sitting here is kind of funny."

"Eve, do you have any idea, no matter how small, why Daniel would be after me? I can't ever recall meeting him before," asked Sarah.

"My guess would be he is still pissed at you. He holds you responsible for our getting divorced. Your name came up a few times. That's all I have."

"It's more than we had before. Next item is Bryce," Casey began. He was halted by Eve who reminded them she was no longer an agent, and would rather not be in the room when they were making plans. She also needed to get her work area in order. Later that day she would need to move her stuff into White's place.

It took a couple of days before all the equipment they would need to keep an eye on the Fulcrum base arrived on site. Chuck was in charge of setting up the surveillance equipment around the Fulcrum hive. They would position the cameras well away from the building and the feeds would be sent to the ISA. Eve would be part of the team that watched the feeds. She had the advantage of knowing some agents and the possibility of her recognizing someone was higher than most of the others.

Beckman had decided to cut her calls down to once a week. She appointed an underling to request agents for missions she needed completed. The team was glad they only had to give her weekly status reports.

They were surprise when Beckman's monitor flashed indicating an incoming call from her. When the screen came to life, they noticed a change in her uniform. She was now wearing two stars on her shoulder boards. Casey was the first to congratulate her.

"General, I see congratulations are in order."

"Thank you Major, it could be condolences as well. Along with the promotion I was just approved to be the new head of the DNI. With Graham's sudden demise I will be handling the CIA as well."

"Ouch," was all White could say. Chuck and Sarah offered their good wishes as well.

"How are you coming on the Larkin front?"

"We're slowly making headway Ma'am. Agent Shaw has been putting together the list of names we have so far, along with their bios."

"Agent Shaw? Isn't he still on medical leave?" asked Beckman.

"Oh for the love of Pete, not the idiot Agent Shaw, his ex-wife. That's it; we're getting married this weekend. I'm done having her compared to the block of wood she made the mistake of marrying," huffed White.

"Very well people just keep me in the loop. By the way White, gotcha! Who do think approved her transfer?" and she was gone.

"Chuck, Sarah, I'm heading to talk to my girl about getting married this weekend. Is dinner still on for tonight at Ellie's?"

"Be there before six. I didn't tell Ellie you were back. I wanted to surprise her, that and give you a chance to settle in with Eve. Devon has all kinds of extreme things coming up. I knew if I told him you were back he would have pulled you into it."

"Good point Chuck. See you then."

**Morgan's office**

Morgan and Shaw were going over the list of names they had acquired from the pictures Morgan had been taking over the last couple months. It was a pretty large list. There were numerous agents and analysts from various agencies working out of that building. One thing Morgan new for sure was Chuck was more than just the owner of a computer company. He would need to find out. The other thing they noticed was the one guy who had been seen with Walker was now with another woman. She was strikingly beautiful and always impeccably dressed. Her entire demeanor screamed professional. There was nothing on her in any of the data bases they had available to them.

"Daniel, we have a pretty large list here. How many of them do you think have turned to Fulcrum?

"I can't say for sure anymore. With Graham dead they have tightened the information coming out of HQ. They think there might be a leak in the system. If I had to guess, the leak is Walker. She was partnered with Bryce for a while and rumor has it they were partners with benefits."

"That does make sense. I have an idea. I will head over to Chucks place and plant one of the new bugs we just got. It's almost impossible to jam. Maybe we can pick up something."

"Just be careful Morgan, I have a bad feeling about this. Sarah is a CIA agent after all, and Chuck does work with them. I still don't know what they actually do in there. We do know it's a mix of agents from all the agencies."

"True, I wonder if that's why he wouldn't hire me in the beginning, and then again a few months ago. My guess is he did turn, that's why he doesn't want me there. He sees me as a good guy."

"I can see them both working with Bryce on this. It makes sense. One last thing before we go. I have another mission for you."

"Good, what is it this time, more bugs or stealing documents."

"It's going to be a bit harder than that. We have an agent that decided to switch sides and rat us out to Fulcrum. We need him taken care of, permanently. His information is in this file. He will be alone in his home tomorrow night. Do it then."

"Is that really necessary? I mean I'm ok with the other stuff but not this."

"Let me make it as clear as I can for you. Either he dies or you do. It's all part of being in the Ring. We do things no-one else wants to. You are working with the best and we can't afford to be identified."

"I'll take care of it like you want."

**Ellie's**

Sarah and Ellie were sitting on the couch sipping some wine before dinner. Casey was lounging on the recliner with his scotch. Devon and Chuck were in the kitchen making dinner. Ellie had been on call this week. Several emergencies at the hospital and the ISA had worn her out. They guys decided the ladies needed a break and decided to cook.

"Your week did suck El. Mine was really good. An old friend from years ago got transferred to us this week. Now I have two people I can hang out with."

"That's great news Sarah. When do think you can introduce us? I have tomorrow off. Maybe we can do a girls night out?"

"Chuck asked her to come by here for dinner. She is also bringing her boyfriend. I think you'll like them both. I do need to warn you about something. A few years ago she was badly disfigured during an op that went bad. She was left for dead. Thanks to the CIA medical teams she's, to quote Chuck smoking hot. When she walks in watch Devon's reaction."

"Sarah, she can't be that good looking."

"Ellie just wait and you'll see." Casey took this opportunity to pipe in. "Sarah almost killed Chuck the first day for looking at her. He had a knot on his head for days. He never did it again."

There was a knock at the door and Ellie went to answer it. When she opened it she froze. Standing before her was the spitting image of a famous model and actress. She was wearing a short figure hugging dark blue dress with a low cut front and open back. Ellie motioned them to come in. Ellie never noticed the man she was with. Sarah poked her to get her back on track before she introduced the couple.

"Ellie, this is my friend Evelyn and her boyfriend Bill." It didn't take Ellie more than a second before she was engulfing White in a hug.

"Welcome back, isn't she a bit old for you?" this caused Evelyn to laugh.

"I see he's been feeding you the crap about going after the young ones. We've been together for a couple years and every time he goes away he uses it. It's his way of saying no thanks to going out chasing tail as he puts it."

"See I have no secrets from you." White gave Eve a quick kiss on the lips and pulled her in the living room.

Devon popped his head out of the kitchen to see who was at the door. He noticed White standing next to Sarah and Ellie. Ellie shifted to the side a bit and he saw the woman holding on to Whites hand. Chuck noticed Devon's eyes beginning to drift so he did the bro thing and smacked him upside the head.

"I did that and got a knot on my head. Just look at her eyes man look at the eyes. It will hurt less that way."

Chuck led Devon into the living room and the party picked up speed. Dinner was a success and they couples and Casey enjoyed a night of playing games and talking over old times. Chuck and Ellie filled the group in on why their parents had yet to return. They did communicate on a regular basis using Skype. It wasn't the same as having them around but it was much better than the last fifteen years. The girls agreed to the night out and the men decided to go to the range and blow off a few hundred rounds. Devon had slowly begun using fire arms. He was still wary but knew if he ever needed to protect Ellie he would need to know how.

Finally the night had to come to an end and the group of friends said their goodbyes and made their way home.

**Morgan**

Morgan had caught a break the night before. He was stopping by to see Chuck and play a video game to calm his nerves. He saw the dinner party going on at Ellie's and planted the bug as an afterthought. He did not sleep much the night before dwelling on what he was about to do. He found himself in another suburb of Los Angles in his targets home. He was trying to convince himself it was just like a video game. When he left someone would hit the reset button and his target would be alive again. He was already inside the man's closet waiting for him to arrive. The file had all the man's habits down pat. He would soon be sitting in the chair in front of the closet Morgan was hiding in. When he began to read the paper, Morgan silently opened the closet door, got his sight picture and fired. The force of the impact slammed the man's head into the table.

Morgan kept hearing himself say check for blood and brain matter. He did and there was. Morgan felt the onset of vomiting and fled the house. He ran half a block before emptying his stomach several times. He made his way back to his place and called Shaw to let him know the job was done. He grabbed a bottle of Jack and poured himself a glass. The only thoughts he had were I am so screwed; I should have listened to Chuck.

Over the next few weeks the three couples got closer as they began spending more time together. Casey would show up about half the time, mostly when it was Ellie's turn to cook. Mission wise it was busy for most of the agents at the ISA. That was one thing that bothered the team. Being the best team had its drawbacks. They were saved for the direst missions and they didn't come along that often. Their main concern was Bryce. He had been quiet for a while now, but over the last few days Chuck was flashing on more of the agents as they arrived. It began to look like a conference was going to take place. It was time to for the team to make its move. Chuck put in a video call to Beckman. When she appeared Chuck began his briefing.

"General, over the past several days there has been a marked increase of Fulcrum agents entering and leaving the hive. We feel there is either a conference going on or they plan to launch a major assault. I am requesting permission to attack the hive tomorrow. We feel the time to strike is now."

"You carte blanche to do what you feel needs to be done. I'll approve it and get the other directors on board."

"Thank you General. We will need support from the FBI, ATF and NSA. We will brief the team leaders tonight. We would like to keep the local authorities out of the operation. We will them to cordon off the streets around the hive. I'll send the complete plan to you within the hour."

"Very good Chuck and happy hunting."

The War Room came alive when the call ended. Technicians were scrambling about installing new video lines to the monitors on the wall. When zero hour arrived all the video feeds on the area and the control over them would be transferred to the agents in the War Room. The Agent's in the field would take directions from the Agents in the War Room. The Agents in the War Room would move the teams on the ground to where they would need to be. They would also warn them of approaching danger.

**Next morning**

Before the sun began to rise the local authorities were busy blocking off the streets that allowed entrance to the Fulcrum hive. In order to not tip off the Fulcrum agents they used the cities maintenance crews to block the streets. One was digging a hole to repair a water main break; the other was repaving a section of the street. All the traffic would now have to use the remaining street to get to the hive. Local radio channels were asked to put out the work on the roads during their traffic reports. It would help lessen the surprise to the Fulcrum agents heading in to work.

Chuck and the assembled teams had assembled prior to the roads being blocked off. The plan was to attack the building from the front and sides. The rear of the building was solid and offered no means of entry or exit. Two man teams from the FBI and ATF were positioned several hundred yards from the building. It was their job to round up any agents that managed to escape from the building and to stop any new Fulcrum people from getting in. Specialized teams from the FBI and ATF would breech any blocked or barricaded doors.

Chuck called one last briefing for the team leaders.

"We go in hard and fast. There are analysts and other workers in that building. Remember the rules of engagement, people. Announce who you are. If they surrender, cuff them and leave them. If they resist use the escalation of force to subdue them. They can't give us any information if they are dead. If there is a weapon pointed at you shoot first and ask questions later. You all have your area of operation. We go in fifteen minutes."

Chuck made his way to his team. What they were about to do was weighing on his mind. He had talked to Sarah the night before while lying in bed. This was not the normal mission they were used to. They had both been involved in firefights before. This was different; it was more military in nature. He remembered the conversation they had the day before with White and Casey.

"_Sarah and I will enter through this door," he said pointing to the diagram of the building. "White and Casey you take this door."_

"_Sorry boss that's not gonna happen," said White. Chuck raised his eyebrow at this. "You may be the best at what you do. I won't argue that. But this, this is what WE do," White said and pointed at Casey. "You're in our world now Chuck. I've trained and done this for over twenty years. I've cleared more buildings than I can count. When I joined your team I made you a promise to keep you and Sarah safe. I meant that. Today you follow US; you will trust US just like I trusted you on the other missions. At the end of the day we WILL be sitting around having a drink. I promise you that." White stood and made his way to the door followed by Casey._

Zero hour had arrived. Chuck issued the go command to the teams. Vehicles began pouring down the only open street and through the parking lot heading to the locations they were assigned to. Men began taking up their positions as instructed by the commands coming from the ISA. Back in the ISA agents quickly began cutting off power and communications to the building. Chuck issued the last group command he would give that day. After this it was up to the team leaders. He said one word, "Breech."

Inside the hive the people monitoring the surveillance cameras noticed the sudden on rush of vehicles and armed men heading to the building. Alerts were sounded and the agents inside began arming themselves. If they went down they were going to go hard, fighting to the end. A few seconds later the power went out and the emergency light came on.

Bryce heard the alarms and rushed into the surveillance room. He instantly began flashing on multiple agents. The last face he saw before being rendered useless by the flashes was his girl, Sarah. He would awaken a few minutes later. Slightly panicked but under control he made his way towards the Intersect room. He would make his stand there. He would convince Sarah that he had completed his mission of infiltrating Fulcrum and locating the Intersect they were building and he was going to destroy it. If that didn't go well he would activate the download sequence and intersect everyone in the room. He knew everyone but he would die but he'd still be alive. _Sucks to be them he thought._

Teams instantly began entering the building and sporadic weapons fire could be heard over the shouts of FBI and ATF. Chuck's team was armed to the teeth with M-4 assault rifles and the pistol of their choice. They were wearing IBA. Just before Chuck's team led by White and Casey prepared to enter the building Chuck looked at White and saw his eyes. They were the same as that day back in Iraq.

White was the first to enter the building and quickly dispatched two agents that offered resistance. Sarah being the last to enter was responsible for the rear of the party. She had to dispatch another agent who attempted his attach from behind. They moved quickly down the hall checking rooms as they went. Most of the people they passed were already on the ground with their hands on their heads. They were flexi cuffed and left.

Chuck noticed movement out of the corner of his eye, turned and fired ending another Fulcrum agents life. Their trek through the building was slow and tedious and very effective. Once inside the building Chuck slipped into his alter ego, Ghost. He was dispatching Fulcrum agents at a frightening pace. Chuck along with Sarah made formidable team as they made their way through the building. Any Fulcrum agent that was dumb enough to offer resistance met their end quickly. They cuffed those that decided that surrendering was the best course of action. Most of the ones that surrendered were analysts. During their trip through the building Chuck was getting his information from Eve.

"Chuck, I'm seeing a massive increase in heat on the infrared camera. It's located about fifty feet from your location."

"Thanks Eve, do you have the exact location?"

"Negative Chuck, I'm going to overlay the map of your locator beacons with the infrared map. Give me a second." There was a slight pause, "Got it. It should be the second door on the left. I can't tell how many people are in there."

"Understood Eve, contact White and Casey, have them meet us at the room you located." Within a few minutes Sarah and Chuck were joined by their partners. White motioned the team to the wall next to the door they were going to enter. He formed them into the standard four man stack the Army uses to clear rooms. He would enter first followed by Casey, Sarah and Chuck. White smashed the door open entered and turned to his left. He saw a man with a raise pistol and fired hitting the man in the shoulder. Casey who was on his ass turned right and moved down the wall to the corner and then towards the back wall the entire time keeping his M-4 pointed at the middle of the room Sarah followed him and stopped by the door. Chuck remained on the outside picking up the rear security.

"Rooms clear and one Fulcrum agent injured. It's Bryce," White called to Chuck. Chuck heard Eve on his comm link.

"Chuck, most of the teams are reporting in. Most of the building is secure. We have a few minor injuries, some major ones and three fatalities. Your section of the building is secure; I put a team at each end of your hall. Beckman wants to know what's in that room. Send a SITREP when you can."

"Tell her we've located Bryce, SITREP to follow."

Bryce had now regained his feet and was leaning heavily on the terminal sitting in the middle of the room. He began to speak.

"Sarah, Thank God you made it. I did it Sarah I found the Intersect computer Fulcrum was building."

"Is that so Mr. Larkin?" said White as he raised his Springfield XD forty towards Bryce. The other members of the team were watching the standoff with a keen eye.

"I'm telling the truth. I went undercover off the books on Graham's orders to infiltrate Fulcrum and bring them down."

"Mmm, that almost sound's believable Bryce, almost," White tilted his head to the left causing his bones to pop. "I have a friend, you see, actually a couple of them. They know what you did Bryce, they know everything. In fact they told me to give you a message when we found you."

"Alright tough guy, what is it." Bryce was going to enjoy taunting this inferior being. He was moving his good hand closer to the panel that would begin the upload.

"It is said there is an Arch Angel called Gabriel, he's known as the bringer of Death. Frost and Orion thought you should meet Gabriel in person. Well I'm here."

Chuck and Sarah were shocked by the revelation that White had been sent by his parents. And he was calling himself Gabriel.

"This is the message. You have messed with our family for the last time. It's time for you to go to Hell where you belong." The sound of a single gunshot echoed through the room and into the hall. Bryce's head snapped back and the rest of him followed as he fell to the floor dead. White holstered his pistol and motioned for the rest of the team to join him at the terminal in the center of the room.

"Well boss, do you think that piece of trash was telling the truth?"

"Once we have the mess cleaned up I'll have the techs come in and check it out. We need to secure the room and make sure the building is secure. When we get back you have a lot of explaining to do White."

"Not much to explain really but it'll keep," was the answer he got.

It would take the cleanup teams several days to gather all the information that was stored in the Fulcrum hive's computers. Getting the prisoners sorted out would also take time. Much of the initial information that was coming out was disturbing. Many of the analysts had been forced to work for Fulcrum by threats made against their families. They would head back to the War Room and go over the assault of the hive.

On the ride back to the ISA Chuck received a text message that said: secure briefing in your office. Call Beckman when you arrive.

The agents were sitting around the office waiting to put the call in to Beckman. Sarah was the first to break the silence.

"White, could you please explain what happened in the Intersect room? Please spare us the usual sarcasm."

"I'll tell you a little bit now. The call you're expecting will explain most or all of it. Before I start you need to call in Eve. She may also want to be here to hear this."

"Just how much is she cleared to hear?" asked Casey.

"I doubt she will hear anything she doesn't already know. She knows all my secrets, same as Sarah knows Chuck's."

"So back to what happened in the intersect room?" asked Sarah.

"Chuck has people that care a lot about him. They felt it was in his best interest to have someone else take care of Larkin. No matter how many kills a person has, taking the life of someone you were friends with at one time can be hard. They asked me to take of Larkin when the time came."

As White finished his explanation the call came in and the monitor flared to life. On the screen four people were sitting at a table side by side. Three shocked faces looked back at the monitor only White and Shaw were unaffected. The faces of Stephen and Mary Bartowski, General Beckman and Sentinel Director Smith were looking back at them.

**AN2: **The remainder of the explanation happens at the start of the next chapter. I decided to break this one up. Thanks again for reading.


	20. Chapter 20

**AN: this chapter could be considered filler. This is more a set up for the sequel to this story as this one should end in the next chapter. I am also not well versed in any type of video game. I just know Call of Duty gets mentioned a lot so I'm going to use that one. One thing that bothered me about the show was they never gave Sarah any friends, and not enough time with Ellie. I hope I did their interactions well.**

Chapter 19

The three surprised agents stared up at the screen and the people that were looking back at them. White looked over at Eve and whispered, "This should be good."

"Hello team," Beckman started off. "Major Casey, for your benefit I will introduce you to the members of the panel. The couple to my left is Stephen and Mary Bartowski also known as Frost and Orion. Orion is the creator of the Intersect. The man to my right is Mr. Smith Director of the Sentinels. This briefing is to explain to all the members of the team what we are all about." Frost was the next to go.

"Over twenty years ago I went undercover to take down Alexi Volkoff. The reason that was given to the agencies was he was a danger to the country. That part was true, what wasn't released was that the CIA created the monster Alexi Volkoff. It was a project Stephen was working on that his colleague jumped the gun on. The CIA found out and tried to kill Stephen. He had to leave our family to fend for themselves." Orion took over for Mary.

"When Chuck was young he snuck into my lab at home and downloaded the first version of the data intersect. Chuck became obsessed with finding his mother. He left home when he was sixteen and ended up in the Gaza strip. I managed to get him a message to give to his mother. One of Volkoff's enemies wanted her dead and was going to blow up where she was. Chuck somehow get word to Mossad and they stopped the bombing. He ended up training and becoming a Mossad agent, the Ghost. As I perfected the Intersect Chuck kept getting the updates. He continued to train with Mossad which got him recruited by the CIA when he was eighteen."

"That's when I came in," interjected Smith. "He was too good to be regular agent so I recruited him into the Sentinels, an elite group of agents. Their numbers are small only about thirty are still active today. They are the best of the best or so they were told. There is another group of agents in the CIA. There are currently only five still on active status. One is currently contemplating his retirement. You can surmise that these agents are truly the best. Their careers are short by anyone's standards."

"Stephen and I didn't like the fact that Chuck decided to follow in our footsteps," said Mary as she took over from Smith. "It was his choice to make so we supported him. Chuck was good but he was rash and undisciplined. He was making mistakes on missions that we felt would get him killed. So I called in a favor from an old friend of mine from the agency. They sent the best agent in any agency. His code name is Gabriel."

"I had no idea Frost was your mother when I took this mission over a year ago. I was shocked when I met you again. Iraq happened by chance Chuck; I really was in the Army at the time. To me you were just another American that needed help. I was in the process of giving up my agent status."

"Then I called him and ruined his plans," continued Beckman. "I got the call from your Mom and arranged for White to join your team. A few months ago there were a few pests that needed removed. One was Bob Marshall who was Fulcrum and the other one; Graham planned to reveal the fact there was indeed a human intersect, you Chuck, to the world."

"I would never put you or Ellie in danger again because of the spy game Chuck," added Mary. "You finally got the life you want and have a terrific woman at your side. One that understands what we do. Your Father and I called in another favor. We needed the best and we requested Gabriel. His final mission took place when he eliminated Bryce."

"We did Bryce a favor," said Orion. "Graham used the old software to build his intersect. You know there was a flaw in the program. There is no reversing the damage done to the brain from it. He would have gone more insane as each week passed. Soon his vital organs would have slowly stopped working. Bryce would have died a slow painful death."

"What we need to decide here today is if you, Sarah and Casey will still be comfortable working with White and Evelyn or us for that matter. Together you and Sarah are a great team, the four of you together will be unstoppable," decreed Beckman. "The choice is yours to make and no one else's. We would like you to talk about it and decide what you want to do. If you do decide to continue on as you are currently doing, you would answer only to us. We have already cleared it with the President."

"General, I would like to talk this over with my team. Can we give you an answer in a few hours?"

"Take all the time you need Chuck. Call us back in two hours, if you want more time tell us then." This time it was Frost that cut the connection.

"Come on Eve, these folks a lot to talk about. I'm sure some of the things they heard shocked them."

"White we covered this before," began Sarah. "Right now we're still a team and will discuss it like one. I only have a few questions, because I already knew about Chuck. So please sit down, both of you."

"Let me go first," Casey stated. "Chuck is the human intersect?"

"Correct and there is more. While I have uploaded the Intersect, the regular intersect is the big room with all the servers in it. All the intelligence is located here in this building. Our people use it every day."

"Eve I understand why White is here but why are you here and why do you seem ok with everything?" questioned Sarah.

"I'm Gabriel's handler. Everything I told you about how we met was true. He was injured in Iraq but it was on a mission not with the Army. When we started dating he told me everything. That's when I knew he was the one for me. He put his entire career on the line for me. I know you understand that Sarah. We called Smith and I became his handler. I was in contact with the panel the day he started on the team. Frost was quite insistent I know all about Chuck and you."

"Well I can safely say that between the four of us we proved that saying, 'spies don't fall in love' is a crock."

"Six Sarah, you forgot my parents."

"Sarah and Chuck, I have done everything a can to remain in the background. This is your operation; I'm just along for the ride. I will give you everything I have on missions and do it your way unless it will get one of you killed or injured. Only then will I step in and change things," explained White.

"I don't see why we need to even talk about this," Casey began again. "Our team is currently made up of White, who I was just told is as good as it gets. We have Chuck, who is a member of the Sentinels, an elite group in the CIA and the human Intersect. Next we have Walker, no offense Sarah, one of the best regular agents the CIA has. I'm in the top of the NSA. As a backup if needed, is another CIA agent, Eve. What's not to like? I'm all for keeping the team together."

"Casey I agree with you on all counts," added Chuck. "Plus we have another top Agent in my Mom, a computer genius in my Dad and the head of the DNI. Smith is also with us but if my gut feeling is correct, he will have little or no input."

It was Eve's turn to speak, "I go where Bill goes. If he's in then so am I. I have one rule though. I will not do any solo missions."

"I was looking to retire. A step down from the work I normally do would be nice. So count me in," White tossed his name into the yes column.

"I guess that just leaves me," quipped Sarah. "Oh the power. I have some personal reasons for wanting to keep the team together. White saved Chuck's ass in Iraq. He saved Chuck's mom in Russia. He gave Eve her life back when she wanted to kill herself. No agents I know would do all that. Chuck takes care of his people just like White does. I'm in, let's call Beckman."

**Shaw's office**

Shaw was very impressed when Morgan killed his target. Now all he had to do was figure out a way to get into the ISA and feed the Ring Information on them. Morgan had been a complete failure in that venue. It was the only thing he couldn't get done. Morgan's computer skills did come in very handy at times. There were a few times he had gotten in to the system. They got a few bits of information confirming Chuck was an agent and Casey of the NSA. Other than that they got nothing. His plans did suffer a major setback with Graham getting killed and Beckman taking over. He needed to call in and end his leave.

"DNI headquarters how can I help you?"

"This is Agent Daniel Shaw of the CIA. I would like to speak with the General."

"Please stand by."

"General Beckman how can I help you?"

"I would like to return from medical leave effective today. I also have a mission I was working on while I was on leave. I uncovered the parent group to Fulcrum. They call themselves the Ring. I passed the information on to Graham. I know more about them than any agent you have. I would like to head a task force to take them down."

"I will need to give this some thought. I do believe you could be on to something big Agent Shaw. Expect my call tomorrow."

Shaw was happy about the call. I knew he would get a yes tomorrow and could bide his time until he weaseled his way into the ISA. The Ring was not in a hurry, they had time. Morgan had just returned from lunch. It had taken a few days and a lot of booze but Morgan had finally started to come around. He helped out by setting Morgan up with a ring agent. It was a good fit for both of them. They were equal in appearance and hobbies. They both liked to play those stupid video games.

"Morgan, I have an idea. Call Julie and go to Chuck's and play some games. That usually makes you feel better."

"I have been avoiding him since my last mission. You may be right and I can introduce him to my girl, I bet he gets a kick out of the fact I have a girlfriend. I'll look him up after work."

The rest of the day went by slowly for the two and soon it was time to leave. Morgan picked up Julie and they went to Chuck's place. When they arrived and knocked, the door was opened by Sarah who invited him in. She called to Chuck who was getting changed. Sarah was already dressed in a denim mini skirt and tight red tank top. She was also wearing knee high black boots

"Morgan who's your friend?"

"I'm sorry Sarah, I forgot my manners. This fine lady is my girlfriend Julie. Julie this is my friend's girlfriend Sarah."

The two women shook hands and Sarah motioned for them to sit down. As they were sitting down the door opened and two women walked in. The first one almost gave Morgan a heart attack. It was the girl from the ISA. She was wearing a skin tight white spandex dress that left nothing to the imagination. It was just as short as Sarah's skirt. She also was wearing white boots that came to mid-calf. The third one to enter the apartment was Ellie. Morgan knew he had died and gone to heaven. His crush of a lifetime was dressed in a black leather mini skirt that barely covered anything. She had on a black halter top and thigh high black boots. Chuck walked in seconds after the two ladies and let out a wolf whistle.

"Looking good ladies, you all set for your night out? I must say Ellie you look hot! I'm surprised Devon let you out dressed like that."

"He's adjusting to it, slowly. I owe it all to Eve and Sarah. They kept telling me I had a great body and should flaunt it like they do. They convinced me that just because I'm involved doesn't mean I need to hide my looks."

"It looks like you two have finally corrupted my sister."

"Oh hell no Chuck," stated Eve. "Who do you think I got this dress from? Seems she has a rather large collection of them. She was just to chicken to wear them out."

"That's TMI ladies. You guys get out of here and have a good time. I'll see you when you get back."

The three women left and headed to the trendiest club in the area. They had fast become friends and confidants. For Ellie it was a dream come true. Her brother had found the girl of his dreams. Sarah was like a sister to her. Adding Eve into the mix gave Sarah another person to talk with that could understand her life as a spy. Over the year Ellie noticed the big changes in Sarah, at first she rarely laughed or opened up. Now she was telling jokes and making wise cracks with the rest of them. With Eve she talked about her time in the agency. Eve was the same as Bill. Dragging sexual innuendoes into conversations at will. She kept everyone on their toes. Heaven help anyone caught in the crossfire between her and Bill. Ellie also found herself becoming more open. Not to other people but herself. Devon always talked and bragged about his body. The girls showed her she was just as hot if not hotter.

The club was hopping and the music was good. They danced together most of the night. Every few songs one of them would take a break and replenish their drinks. The one good thing about them hanging out together was they were not heavy drinkers if they drank at all. The DJ called for his last break and the trio headed to their table. They were approached by three fairly good looking men holding drinks.

"Hello ladies we thought you looked thirsty and might need a drink."

"That was very nice of you but we're fine, thanks anyway," Sarah answered for the group.

"We noticed you have been dancing together all night. I think you could use some manly company the rest of your night."

Sarah and Ellie looked at each other and they noticed the spark of mischief in Eve's eyes just before she spoke. She placed her arms around each of the shoulders and pulled them in close to her.

"We are in a committed relationship. When we go home we will make a reverse Oreo cookie, Blondes on the outside and brunette on the inside. I don't think you have anything we need. Sorry to disappoint you guys." She then placed a small kiss on each of their cheeks.

The men just stood there looking like fish out of water, then turned and left. As soon as they did the three women burst into laughter.

"Works every time," declared Eve. The decided to call it a night and headed back to Echo park.

**Chucks place **(same time girls are out)

Chuck Morgan and Julie were sitting in various places around the living room holding a controller in their hands. They were playing Call of Duty online. They were clearly the team to beat. In addition to killing the enemy and shouting orders about which way to go, they were sharing small talk.

"Chuck, Morgan tells me you own a computer company," Julie said.

"It's not a computer company per say, it's a computer security firm. Our firewalls and intrusion software programs are among the best on the market. I spend a lot of time on the road installing systems."

"I tried for the longest time to get Chuck to hire me. He didn't because I wasn't qualified for any of the positions he had open. I'm glad he didn't. I now have a job I really like and met you. So in the end it all worked out."

"I'm glad you finally see it my way Morgan. Maybe we can finally put the past behind us."

"I'm glad to hear that. Morgan is always telling me how close you two were growing up. He really wanted his friend back," commented Julie.

"Chuck, I need to say this. What happened to Ellie? The Ellie I knew would never have left the house looking like that."

"You heard what she said before she left. Sarah and Eve got her to open up. It used to drive me nuts when we went to their place and Devon was prancing around with no shirt on bragging about how much work it took for him to look like he did. One day Sarah got fed up with it and called Eve. They had a long chat with her and you saw the results." Chuck paused for a second to kill a guy on screen then continued, "You should have seen the look on Devon's face when Ellie showed up with Sarah and Eve at the hospital one day. They decided to take him lunch. They were dressed in the shortest Daisy Dukes they could find, matching blue Bikini tops and a white mesh top over it. Devon's eyes popped out of his head seeing the three of them."

"He must have flipped his lid," Julie said.

"Oh he did," answered Chuck. "It got better after that. Ellie looked straight into his eyes and said, 'you need to do a lot of work to look like that. I don't need to work at all to look like this.' Then the three of them turned and left. Devon sulked for a week afterwards." All three laughed at that.

"Morgan, it's late I think we should go."

"Julies right Chuck, remember my offer is still on the table." Morgan and Julie helped Chuck clean up and left.

**ISA **

The four agents were getting ready for the weekly call in from Beckman. It was decided that Eve would remain with the other analysts on the second floor. She was given her own private office and secure terminal in case it was necessary for her to participate in a conference with the team.

Beckman's call came as expected.

"I received a call yesterday from Daniel Shaw saying he was back on duty. He informed me has information on a group called the Ring. He claims they are the parent group that fulcrum was a small part of. He told me Graham has the information he sent in. We are currently going over Graham's computers to see if there is indeed information on this so called Ring. Do you have any information on them?"

"General, the first time I heard of them was a few weeks back. Someone I know is working for Shaw. He told Sarah and I that the Ring is part of the CIA."

"Unless there is a more covert group in the CIA than the one White works for, the panel has never heard of them. I think this group needs to be investigated. Your opinions please?" questioned Beckman.

"I agree General," began Casey. "I would worry about Shaw as well. It looks like he is playing both sides of the fence. He managed to get Chuck's friend Morgan to join him. Morgan has been following Sarah around and taking pictures. He has also been trying to get Chuck to hire him for the security company."

"General, most of the pictures Morgan took of me are entering and leaving the ISA. I wonder if he has been taking pictures of everyone leaving the building. They could have a file on everyone that works for us."

"Sarah, that's a scary thought and very possible," commented the General. "I think we need to check this situation out. Chuck, can you get someone inside?"

"I have a better idea. Let me work on the details and I'll get back with you on it. I would tell Shaw that his idea is a good one and he should any information to you."

"I will call him and inform him that his plan is a go. That's all I have for now people have a good day."

"Chuck what if the analysts overlooked something when you ran Morgan's name?" interjected White. "My real name is not in any file anywhere. What if Shaw had Morgan use a legitimate name when he signed up, just not his own? Then they tied it into a cover name?"

"That's a different take on it. It makes sense though," Casey added in.

"Here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to pay Morgan a visit when Shaw is not around. I'll check out the office and see what I can find out. Maybe I can get Morgan to spill some beans about the operation. I want Sarah and White to monitor from the van. Casey I need you to work with Eve getting all the information on Shaw that we have. When I'm with Morgan, you and Eve monitor the feed as well. Anything you think might be important I want you to check out," explained Chuck.

Later that afternoon Chuck paid Morgan a visit.

**Morgan's office **_italics denote communication on the ear wigs_

"Morgan, I gave your offer some thought. It would help me make up my mind if you could prove to me you work for the CIA."

"Sure thing Chuck, did you know Sarah works for the CIA? And Casey is a member of the NSA?"

_Chuck there is no way he can know I'm CIA_

"Morgan you're out of your mind. They are not agents of any kind."

"I'll prove it to you," he went over to his computer and logged on. The screen showing the CIA logo popped up and Morgan began logging in.

"Hans Solo is your login name?"

"I honor of you buddy."

_Chuck it's Eve, Hans Solo checks out as active. _

"Now I will do a search on Sarah Walker and presto." On Morgan's screen Sarah's picture came up and a small file as well. It only listed a few missions and the mark about her being benched.

"Shit Morgan what am I going to do. Sarah is CIA."

_Chuck is the information correct?_

"You even have her picture and files. What am I going to do?"

_Eve again, his file is up. He is in the data banks as an agent. He has done numerous missions and has one confirmed kill. The kill is recent._

_Chuck we have enough for now. If he is an agent we have problems. Arrange a meet with Shaw._

"Ok Morgan I'm in. set up a meeting with Shaw for tomorrow. I need to think about all this." Chuck left the building and headed to the ISA.

**ISA Eve's Office.**

"Eve,What do you have for us?"

"From what we can tell he's legit. He completed training a while ago and was certified by CIA Agent Daniel Shaw. He completed several non-lethal missions, thefts, planting bugs and received high marks on them. He did a black bag job two weeks ago. He eliminated a Fulcrum agent," explained Eve.

"Here's where it gets interesting, Shaw set him up using the name of a dead guy." Casey said adding to the conversation, "That's why Morgan Grimes is not in the system. They had someone good do the records. Eve told me Daniel couldn't hack into a paper bag with a knife."

"When he logged in to the CIA mainframe I used the remote back door that the CIA uses to keep an eye on their agents. While he was showing you the information he also sent it to this IP address," Eve followed up Casey. "It's near the location that Shaw says is where some Ring operatives work."

"Chuck," Casey began, "I hate to say this but your little buddy is a Ring Agent."


	21. Chapter 21

**AN: this is the last chapter. It got way too big to post as a single so I will post it in two parts tonight. I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 20 part 1

**Caribbean Island**

Hartley was distressed over a call he had just received from his daughter. He had a problem and he wanted some advice on how to handle it. He dialed a familiar number and waited for the other end to answer.

"Hello Hartley. What can I do for you?"

"Mary I have a problem I need advice on. Vivian called me and has an issue back at Volkoff industries. My old lawyer, Riley, is trying to revive the old Volkoff industries. He wants Vivian to take my place. He's telling her it is her destiny to run the business like Volkoff did."

"That is a big problem for Vivian. We worked hard to get rid of the bad portions of Volkoff industries and make it a legitimate one," explained Mary.

"I know that Mary. Right now our R and D department is on the verge of developing cutting edge weapons for your country. If this gets out it may cost us our contract."

"I have someone in mind that will be able to handle this problem for you and Vivian. By the way how is she?"

"She is fine. Our relationship is getting better every day. Thank you again Mary for the help you and Stephen gave me when I explained to Vivian what happened."

"It was our pleasure after what happened to you. How is that island treating you? You ready to head back to Moscow any time soon?"

"You know me better than that. It's too cold there now; I like the sun and warmth of this island. You and Stephen seemed to enjoy your time here."

"We did Hartley and we are looking forward to coming for another visit. This time we will bring our family and some from friends with us."

"The more the merrier, you know that. I'll tell Vivian to expect a visitor. Thanks again for your help."

"You're welcome Hartley. We'll be in touch." Mary turned to Stephen who was working at his desk nearby, "Well Stephen what do think we should do?"

"That's more your area of expertise. Remember I'm the brains you're the brawn of this couple."

"I'll give our man a call and have the problem taken care of. Riley will cause a lot of trouble if he can rally Volkoff's former allies along with him. With some of the new weapons Hartley is designing it could cause lots of problems for the government."

"You are right as usually. Tell him if he needs help we can assist him in any way he needs."

**ISA**

White was sitting at his girlfriend's desk waiting for her lunch hour to arrive. His phone went off and he answered it.

"White secure"

"Frost secure, I have need of your services. You can let Chuck know what the mission is."

"Sure thing Frost what is it. We have an issue in Moscow that needs taking can of. Your contact will be Vivian."

"Hartley's daughter, sure no problem. You do remember I am trying to retire? Can I use this as a vacation as well? The last time we were there I didn't get a chance to see much. Plus I think Eve would like to see Moscow. Also I'm gonna fly private this time so get Beckman to arrange the re-fueling."

"I'm sure that Chuck will approve of your plans, if not I will step in as him mom and get him to approve your leave. Enjoy your flight."

"Thanks Mary I'll go talk to Chuck. Talk to you later." He turned to Eve and said, "Pack your bags were off to Moscow."

"I do wish you would quit doing these types of missions. You know they drive me nuts because you don't have back up with you."

"Well you can be my backup on this mission if you want."

"I think I can do that. I don't think it will be too much trouble."

"It should be a piece of cake. I'm gonna talk to Vivian and she what she thinks, I'm not gonna tell her what the plan is, I'll just make the problem go away. She can tell us what we can see and do in Moscow."

"Fine let's talk to Chuck and get out of here." Eve packed up her desk and went with White to tell Chuck about his new mission.

Chuck was standing with Sarah and Casey talking with some of the other agents that were going over the missions they had just completed. The missions had gone well and a few more bad guys had been taken off the streets.

"Hey guys I got a call a bit ago and need to take a vacation, as in like today. I should only be gone two weeks at most."

"It's fine but is anything wrong?" asked Sarah.

"Everything is fine, the call was from Frost it seems there is a problem at VI and they need it taken care of. Since I'm semi-retired I had her throw in two weeks' vacation in place of my normal fee."

"Fee, what fee are you talking about?" asked Casey.

"He may be the best at what he does but he doesn't come cheap. He does normal missions for the same reasons you do, even some wet work. The outright black bag stuff is extra. He's not bound by the same rules as you are. He's semi-retired, the semi part being black bag stuff." Eve pointed out.

"I suppose that makes sense. Don't you feel strange getting paid for doing your duty," again questioned Casey.

"No more than you do. No matter what you say they pay you to do their dirty work. I just get a lot more for doing it. There are some benefits for doing this job for thirty years. Helping Vivian is a favor for your folks, nothing more."

"We need to head out and pack. My plane is being fueled and prepped as we speak."

"You never told us you had a plane," stated Chuck. "We could have used it on some of our missions."

"Sorry Chuck it's a two-seater, but it's a hell of a ride. If you want to check it out you can drop us off at the airfield."

"You want to get out of the office for a few hours and drop them off?" Chuck asked Sarah.

"Why not, we can stop by and see Ellie for lunch."

"Casey you have the desk for the rest of the day. We expect to see you at Ellie's for dinner."

"You know I can't pass up Ellie's cooking so I'll be there."

"Ok we're off see you tonight."

White was driving to the airfield when Chuck asked why they were heading away from LAX.

"We're going to get my bird. I keep her at NAS point Mugu. She needs tender loving care so I leave her in good hands." This just got a questioning look from the two other passengers in the car. Eve just shrugged her shoulders and looked out the windows. When they arrived at the flight line they saw a sleek black plane waiting on the tarmac.

"This is where we get off guys thanks for the lift."

"Not so fast White you really need to explain that," Sarah said pointing to the F-14 sitting in front of them.

"During the first Gulf War the CIA ran a lot of Black ops bombing runs over Iraq. They asked for volunteers to learn to fly the Tomcat. I figure it would be fun. So I went to flight school and did quite a few missions. The CIA kept a few of the birds for various missions. When they got decommissioned by the Navy the CIA kept their F-14's. This is the plane I flew for around ten years. It comes in handy when you need to get somewhere fast. This bird is special. It's been reworked and has all the latest bells and whistles. Except for the Actual airframe it's not the same bird the Navy Used. Thanks to a friend of mine I keep up my qualifications. I can land this baby anywhere."

"Good to know, next time we need to attack Libya I'll keep you in mind," quipped Chuck.

"Been there and done that already, but would love to do it again."

Less than an hour later they watched the plane taxi onto the runway and scream into the sky.

**Shaw's office**

Morgan took the call from Beckman telling them the mission to go after the ring anyway they wanted. They would be getting a few new agents joining their team and their base of operations would be their office. The new agents would be there in the morning. Morgan was filled with excitement. He was going to be part of a special team to take down a rogue group of spies. He just wondered who his new teammates were going to be. The only thing that bothered him was it would affect Chuck having to send Chuck's girlfriend to jail.

Shaw was almost as excited as Morgan that his plan had been approved. He was ready to get on with his plan. He really did want to take down the ring, but his main goal was to take out Agent Walker the woman who ruined his marriage.

**ISA**

Casey was running the office when the call came from Beckman that their plan was a go. The three of them would report in to Shaw's office in the morning. Beckman's hunch was that Shaw was on the fence of turning completely. By having the team with him they could try and sway him back their side. By sending in the big three he would have no reason to watch the ISA. Chuck would then be able to switch his teams around. They would switch the Austin teams and analysts with the ones in Burbank. It was the best they could do at the moment. Plus there was no way Chuck was letting Shaw or Morgan anywhere near the ISA.

The next morning found the big three meeting up outside the new headquarters of the Ring task force. Morgan and Shaw had arrived early to meet the new agents. The first agent to arrive was Casey. Shaw had anticipated this move from Beckman. The next moved shocked Shaw when Sarah followed Casey in. he really thought his day was looking up. It would be easy to rid the world of Walker now. Send her on a mission with bad Intel against a superior force and she would get her gold star. The final team member to walk in the door was Chuck. Morgan was almost gasping for breath at seeing his friend walk in. There was no information about chuck in the data bases he had access to, so why was he here? The big thing was he now had a rogue CIA Agent working with him. He would have to be careful than before.

"Good morning Agent Shaw and Agent Grimes," began Casey. It had been decided that Casey would be the lead on this mission. With Beckman now in charge of the DNI it would be logical for her to use one of her own. "I'm Agent Casey NSA, Agent Walker and Agent Bartowski CIA. General Beckman sent us to assist you in your fight against the Ring."

"Welcome aboard Agents. Take a seat and I will go over what we have so far," Shaw told them and he began his briefing. The briefing took a few hours more than Shaw expected. His new people were asking far too many questions for his liking. He had to remind himself he wasn't dealing with people like Morgan, he was dealing with professionals. They decided to break for lunch. The three new agents went to get take out for the team. While they were gone Morgan and Shaw talked over the day.

"Shaw I really don't like the fact we have three rogue agents working with us. What if they send information back to their superiors?"

"Morgan it couldn't get more perfect for us. We feed them false information and they send it back. They will eventually lead us to the base and we can take them down." Shaw was playing Morgan like a fiddle. He had Morgan convinced they were rogue and the Ring was good. Morgan was doing most of talking to the Ring operatives he had connections to. As long as the Ring got good information on the CIA he would be in the clear. If his plan unraveled Morgan would be the perfect fall guy. After all he was the one giving up the information not him.

"I'm still not sure why Chuck comes up blank in the agent data base."

"Maybe he just made agent status. It really doesn't matter to us what he calls himself. Beckman sent them to us so we will have to deal with it."

At the end of the day after the rest of the team had gone home for the night Morgan called his Ring handler and reported that three new agents had joined Shaw's team and they were trying to take done the Ring. He sent them all the information they had on them. The handler was pleased with the news Morgan gave him. With three loyal agents feeding Morgan information the Ring would be able to stay one step ahead of the CIA and their life just easier.

**Same time frame as White's mission.**

Chuck and Sarah were sitting in his office when he got a call from Beckman.

"Chuck I have a mission that needs your special skill set."

"When and where do you need me?"

"The DEA has a major drug dealer in their sights. The problem is one of their agents is undercover and fears she has been identified. She has requested immediate extraction."

"You want me to do the extraction. Is there anything else you would like taken care of while I'm doing the extraction?"

"If possible see if you can get into the dealers computers. The Agent's cover name is, Rebecca Anderson. She should have a list of names she has acquired. Your main objective is to get her out."

"Very good Ma'am, I'll contact you when I complete the extraction."

"Good luck Chuck." A few moments the e-mail came in with the agents name and picture. Sarah let out a soft gasp when she saw the picture that appeared on the screen.

"She's a friend of mine Carina. Would you mind if I helped with the extraction?"

"I don't have a problem with you coming along as support. When I go in I go alone."

"You have a deal. We can review the files and come up with a plan," suggested Sarah. They began reading through the reports and Chuck found a way in.

"This guy here, Joe Banner, has the same height and build as me. He makes frequent trips to the house in question. I just need to talk to him to get a recording of his voice then I can make up the latex face. I'll move in and get your friend."

"Do you think it will be that easy?"

"Nope, but I can hope. What I need from you is a phrase that I can use to let Carina know I'm the one that's getting her out."

"I'll let you know when I come up with something." Chuck and Sarah spent a few days watching and tracking the moves of Banner. They decided Chuck would run into the mark at a local bar he frequented. The meeting went off without a hitch. Chuck got the recording he needed and Sarah took some pictures from the car she was waiting in. Once they had everything they needed they needed to be sure Joe would not show up during the rescue. They arranged for him to be picked up by the DEA and his arrest kept under wraps until they got Carina out.

The day of the extraction finally arrived. Chuck drove up in Banner's car and parked near the door to the house. He was dressed in some of Banner's clothes they had retrieved from his house. Sarah was a block away monitoring the mission from Chuck's SUV. Along with Sarah were several other vehicles loaded with DEA personnel. Chuck walked into the house and began looking for Carina. He was approached by the man the DEA was after.

"Joe. Good to see you again. What brings you back so soon?"

"Sure is Brian. I figured I'd have one last go at Rebecca. I think she's beginning to weaken, if you know what I mean."

"You said that the last time you were here. I don't think she wants to give you the time of day."

"We'll see. I have a plan this time. It's guaranteed to work. So where is she hiding today?"

"Most likely out by the pool, you know the way. I'll have an ice pack waiting for when she breaks you nose."

"Not gonna happen my man, I told you I have a plan." With that Chuck followed the directions Sarah was giving him to the pool. Once there he noticed a red head sun bathing on a lounge chair wearing the skimpiest bikini he had ever seen. He approached her with caution when he saw her sit up quickly.

"Hello Rebecca..." he was cut off before he could finish.

"I told you before I'm not interested. Why don't you take your sorry ass back to the rock you crawled out from under?"

"Whoa easy there woman, I'm not here to ask you out again. I just wanted to talk about a movie I saw the other day. It was CATS the musical." He stressed the word cats just enough that she would notice. "It turns out a friend of a friend of mine was in the cast of Cats." Carina gave Joe a cautious look and he returned her look with a wink.

"You know maybe I have misjudged you. Anyone that's seen Cats must have some class, even if it's just a little." Carina got up off the lounge chair and wrapped her sarong around her waist. "Give me a few minutes to change and we can get some food. Brian won't like it if I leave even with you taking me out."

"Yeah I figured that. I told him I had a plan to get you to go out with me. He'll never believe it worked."

"There is a first time for everything. Wait here I'll be right back." True to her word Carina was back in a few minutes. She had simply pulled a black sun dress over her bikini and donned a pair of sandals. "You ready to go?"

"Lead the way Rebecca." As they made their way to the door Brian suddenly appeared and blocked their way.

"Going somewhere Rebecca?"

"I finally decided to take Joe up on his offer for lunch."

"I don't think so. Joe, guess what a little birdie told me the other day? It seems Rebecca here works for the DEA."

"You lousy Bitch," yelled Chuck and he made a move like he intended to strike Carina. At the last second he whirled and hit Brian with a right hand. He followed that with a quick left. A goon appeared and saw his boss getting his ass kicked and went to help. Carina cut him off with a vicious kick. She grabbed his weapon from inside his jacket and took up a defensive stance waiting for Chuck. Chuck had no trouble rendering Brian unconscious. He drew he own weapon and scanned the room. Two more goons entered the foyer with their weapons out. Carina took out the first at almost the same time Chuck took out his. Grabbing Carina's hand they fled the building as other men began to arrive. Chuck wasted no time in calling to Sarah for a pickup.

Sarah had been monitoring the mission heard the mission suddenly start to go bad and called for the teams to move in. She was the first to seep towards the house the recue was taking place in. The sound of shots being fired brought a lump to her throat. She was hoping that neither Chuck nor Carina had been shot. When she heard Chuck's voice come over the communications link she relaxed just a bit. As soon as she got to the front of the house Chuck and Carina were almost to the street. They quickly entered the SUV and when the door closed Sarah sped off.

"Well Carina, seems like you needed me to save your ass again," this was said with a smile from Sarah.

"Sarah, what the hell are you doing here? Last I heard you and Larkin were riding the pines."

"That was over a year ago. I'll tell you more about it when we get back to the War Room."

"How did you get Joe here to switch teams anyway?"

"Carina I'd like to introduce to Agent Bartowski, CIA." Carina turned to look at Joe and when she did, he reached behind his neck and began pulling the disguise he was wearing off. He pulled the back over his head and down the front, leaving several small pieces of latex on his skin. He then removed the voice modulator from his neck.

"Nice to meet you Carina," stated Chuck and he held out his hand.

"Well I'll be damned. I really thought it was Banner. You sounded just like him. Now I know why you brought up Cats."

"Sarah told me a bit about your time together and figured it would get your attention."

"Yeah it did. What about Brian and his crew?"

"I was listening to the rescue the entire time. As soon as I heard the shots I called for the DEA team I was waiting with to move in. They should have the situation under control by now," explained Sarah.

"When we get to base you can call your people and give them an update. For now sit back and enjoy the ride," added Chuck. It didn't take long before the three of them were sitting in the War Room going over the mission with Carina's contact at the DEA. Chuck also informed him that Carina would be taking time off.

"I'm going to head to my office and do some paperwork, if you ladies would excuse me." Chuck got up and left.

"So Sarah what's up with the hunk? Is he your partner?"

"In more ways than one, I live with him. We've been dating for a year now so its paws off Carina."

"So the great Sarah Walker has fallen in love with her partner. I'll admit he's a step up than the idiot Larkin."

"Yeah he is. He's the best thing to happen to me. You'll be staying with us while you're here, that's not up for debate."

**Volkoff Industries two day later**

White decided on taking a short layover in London to store his plane. White and Eve caught a commercial flight to Moscow where Vivian was waiting for them with a limo. During the trip to the office Vivian asked them how their flight was. Eve was practically gushing as she recounted the trip.

"I'm telling you Vivian there is nothing like riding in the Cat. When Bill starts doing some aerial maneuvers it gets my blood pumping. We don't get up often but man what a rush when we do."

"You flew a Cat here? You'll need to explain that one to me," said Vivian.

"Cat is short for The F-14 Tomcat the Navy used to use. It's a fighter jet to be exact," filled in White.

"Flying wasn't the best part either. Bill loves to pull stunts on people. When we landed in London he called up a friend of his and asked for a ride. When his friend and his wife pulled up Bill tossed him a stuffed cat and said here are the keys to my ride. I want them back when you're done playing with it," explained Eve.

"Hammer knew right away what the stuffed cat meant and his eyes got big as saucers. His wife Mac just gave Bill a look that could stop a horse and said there was no way in hell she was getting into that deathtrap. It seems she flew with him several times and he had a few mishaps along the way," Bill continued for Eve. "I don't think we were half way to their place and he already had scheduled time off to fly."

"Now that's over with did my Dad tell you about the problem I'm having?"

"We got the information second hand from Mary. Why don't you give us the unedited version?" asked White.

"About a month ago I got a visit from my Dad's old lawyer, Riley" Vivian began. "He wants me to go back to the old ways of Volkoff Industries. He claims my Dad was brainwashed by the CIA when he was caught. He then told me I was groomed from the time I was born to run the family business. I know he is full of crap because I met my Grandmother a few weeks ago. She told me how my Dad was before he screwed up. He is the same now as he was then. Volkoff is the brainwashed person not Hartley."

"I'm glad you understand that Vivian, it will make my job easier. So what happened next?"

"Riley began to threaten me. A few times I caught people following me. I found out he has some ties to the old Soviet Block. My guess is he wants to change VI back and give our weapons to those that still believe in the old Mother Russia way of thinking. With what we have coming out in a few months they stand a good chance of making that happen. I can't let that happen so I called Dad for some help."

"It's a good thing you did Vivian," commented Eve.

"I will need some information on him like where he lives and restaurants he frequents, unless you want him removed in the building. Then I just need his office. I'll leave it up to you."

"I think his office would work best. I'm not a big fan of what you are going to do but he needs to be stopped and soon."

"Office it is then. Send me all the information and I'll take of it. You'll know when it's done. It was nice meeting you Vivian. The next time we meet should be in a few months on a nice tropical island."

Two days later a lone man dressed in a long black leather coat entered Riley's office.

"I have a message from Alexi Volkoff. I'm looking for Riley is he around?" questioned the man.

"I'm Riley but you can't have a message from Alexi. The CIA has him locked up some place."

"He has escaped and is headed back here to take over from Vivian. He says she doesn't have the heart to be in control." Gabriel was like a cat toying with the mouse before it makes the kill.

"That's very good. I tried but I couldn't get her to see the light. What's Alexi's message?"

"You're fired." In the blink of an eye a silence pistol was raised and a single shot was fired hitting Riley in the middle of the forehead. A note was written and placed on the Riley's chest for all to see.

"And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. Let this be a warning to all. Leave my daughter alone or HE will find you. Signed, Alexi Volkoff. The name of Alexi Volkoff still instilled fear in the hearts of men. This would insure that it stayed that way.

After a few more days with Vivian they flew back to London where they spent time with Hammer and his wife. Of course the men spent most of the time boring holes in the sky while the ladies hung out. They finally ended their vacation and flew back to the naval station and dropped off the bird. It had been a good trip. Frost liked the part about the letter saying it would indeed strengthen the cover for Hartley.

Only time would tell if the panel's hard work would pay off in the long run. With Volkoff industries supplying their weapons and technologies and Fulcrum mostly disbanded the panel set their sights on the next big prize, the Ring. With the big three now in contact with Shaw and Morgan it would only be a matter of time before they would be able to take them down.

TBC on part 2


	22. Chapter 22

**AN: **This is the final chapter. Several missions are going to be taking place at the same time. I will do my best to keep it clear who is doing what and when it is happening. If I screw up just keep in mind they are taking place simultaneously. I hope I have entertained and guessing as you read this. To all of you that commented on this thanks. It does mean a lot to a writer to see what they did right or what they did wrong. I hope you enjoy the finale as much as I did writing it.

Chapter 20 part 2

The new team was meshing well with Shaw. Morgan became a small problem when the new team arrived. He knew that Morgan would report all their daily activities back to the Ring. He used his contacts to get Morgan assigned to a long term mission for the Ring. With Morgan being an Agent for the CIA he had access to some of their files. His job was to recruit Fulcrum agents that had escaped the demise of Fulcrum. Morgan would find out an agents location and get assigned for the pick up or elimination of the agent in question. His status as an agent was growing within the CIA. Thanks to the hackers the Ring had and Morgan's access to the data bases, the agents that came on board were listed as dead and the ones that refused were turned in to the CIA.

The information Shaw had on the Ring allowed him to plan missions to bring in some minor Ring agents. Shaw had assigned them each a few solo missions which were executed flawlessly. They were tasked with the retrieval of those agents. The one thing they had been able to learn so far from the agent's during questioning was they were using a pyramid way of reporting their information to the Ring. For every three agents there was only one person they reported to. Three of those would report to another one. This method was used up to the top where that person reported directly to the Directors. Information was never passed across the ranks, just upward.

**ISA**

General Beckman was on the large screen talking to her team about a mission that just came up.

"I just received a call from the diplomat in Costa Nova. The country is in turmoil right now. A small group of dissidents is kicking up a fuss. The government there has been loyal to us for years. Normally we wouldn't get involved in the internal conflicts in a country that small but they have one of the largest deposits of gold in the world. The rebels feel if they take over the government they can mine all the gold they can and everyone will be rich."

"If they did that it could destabilize the global economy," Chuck supplied.

"Exactly, I need a team sent there to try and settle the unrest or take out the leaders. I have set up cover identities for White and Hansen. You should receive the package containing all the information in a few hours."

"Very Good General, we will keep you informed on the mission progress," Chuck filled in.

"Well it looks like I'm headed for fun in the sun. There is supposed to be some terrific diving spots off their coast," explained White. "I'll go tell Eve, let me know when the package arrives."

"I'll let Carina know about the mission," Sarah added in. "She should be thrilled to be going somewhere she can lounge on the beach most of the day. Plus she likes diving as well."

**Costa Nova**

Several days later the agents were unpacking their bags at the hotel they would be staying at. Despite the fact the hotel was not very big it had all the luxury of any five start hotel. One big plus was the location on the beach. It was within walking distance of the restaurants and clubs. Diving trips could be arranged in the hotel lobby.

The first few days Mr. White and his associate, Ms. Hansen, did what most people on vacation would do. They rented a small catamaran and did some sailing, made plans to go diving and hit some of the local clubs. They spent time during the day wandering through the local area checking out the small shops for any little trinkets they could send home. The other reason was job related. They knew they would not hear any word of political unrest in the area next to the hotel. One sure way to get noticed by the local underground was to drop large amounts of money in a short amount of time.

It took almost two weeks before the first contact was made. They were walking through a shop that was known for the quality of their handmade knives. Many of them were nothing more than decorative but some were fully intended for use. One item caught White's eye. It was a mechanical device that could be strapped to his forearm. By turning his wrist a certain way the blade would come out the front in a way similar to a switch blade. While he was checking it out he was approached by a man he had seen a few times before.

"With a partner as lovely as yours, you will need something better than such a small knife. Perhaps I could interest you in something a little more impressive?"

"Who says I don't have all the protection I need with me?" White replied while patting his right hip. He turned slightly and motioned for Carina to join him. "Maybe we can help you? I have heard a few things in passing as we did our shopping. Some of my associates like the idea of the little man rising to the top."

"What have you heard on the streets, as you American's say?"

"That there is money to be made if the proper investments are put in place. I think we can invest in the cause if the price is right. My former employer did like the underdog; he was very sympathetic to their causes."

"You talk in riddles my friend. Who was your former employer?"

"Mr. Volkoff, I'm sure you have heard of him? You know where to reach me if you want to talk about some investments." White took Carina's arm and they left the store and headed back to the hotel. All they could do now was wait until the man to get back to them.

"Well Carina, looks like we get to spend more time on the beach with those drinks you like so much."

"Beach, no way! We're going to do as much diving as we can. The first couple of times were the normal places tourists go to dive. I found out where the locals go and they say it's a much better dive. Some old ship wrecks can be explored. I don't want to pass that up."

"I like the way you think Carina, I'll let you set it up." They both knew it would take a while for them to meet some of the leaders of the rebel group so they were going to make the best of it.

**ISA **(about a week after White and Carina left)

The team was gathered around the monitor in the War Room giving the General the updates she wanted.

"How is the mission in Costa Nova going?"

"Carina's report reads like a kid's summer vacation," Sarah replied. "So far they have done a few dives and went sailing. They have not had any contact with persons of interest."

"How soon do they expect before they make contact?"

"Ma'am it will take longer than usual with the team you sent in," explained Chuck.

"Why is that Chuck? You teams are the best at what they do."

"Correct General, the important part being what they do. White is great if you have a known target you want removed, and Carina if you need someone to flirt their way in. Neither is the case here. Carina is not the loose cannon she was before being partnered with White. She follows his lead without question," explained Chuck.

"To quote Carina, he scares the shit out of me. She does exactly what he says and sticks to the plans he makes. I think her days of winging it are over," added Sarah.

"On to new business, the DEA and ATF have been tracking the sale of weapons to several drug cartels in Mexico. They have been buying the guns illegally here and shipping them across the border. I am going to task Shaw with bringing them down. I'll send you all the information we have in case Shaw decides to leave some information out. That's all I have, I'll contact you in a week, Beckman out."

They headed over to their official office and waited for the briefing they were expecting from Shaw. As usual Shaw was late saying he was held up in traffic. He went over his plans to bring the gun runners down. They would open a gun shop just outside of Burbank and put out information on the internet that they specialized in automatic weapons. The sites they posted on were known to be used by the criminal element. It would take about a week to get the shop fully stocked and ready to open. Casey and Chuck would be the sales persons, Sarah would be the Book keeper and he would be the supplier.

It took a few weeks before the business began to show signs of attracting the type of clientele they wanted. At first it was small quantities of hand guns, then a few orders for assault weapons. They began to make a name for themselves in the illegal gun trade. With Chucks ability to flash the also managed to apprehend some wanted criminals. It was turning out to be quite an effective operation. They had been in business about two months when they got their big break. Chuck was manning the counter while Casey was in the back putting an order together. The door opened and a man of Hispanic descent walked in.

"I heard through some of my friends you may be able to help me out with a little business venture."

"What would you require in the way of support from us?" asked Chuck. He flashed on the man standing in front of him. Lance Diaz of the Pharaoh Cartel, was wanted for arms dealing and several counts of drug trafficking.

"I am looking to acquire two hundred of your finest assault rifles, preferably of the Russian variety."

"For an order that large I will need to contact my supplier. I can arrange a meeting for later tonight at the Zodiac Lounge in Los Angles. Who should I tell him he will be meeting?"

"Tell him Mr. Diaz will be expecting him at eight. I am a busy man and if he is not on time I will take my business elsewhere." Diaz finished his speech and left the store.

"Time to have Shaw earn his money," Chuck told Casey. "I'll let him know about the meeting you get on the horn and arrange for the weapons to be delivered. I'm sure he will want to see the product before he buys."

"We have one case in the back we can send with Shaw as a sample. With luck he can set up the delivery in a week. That will give Beckman time to arrange for the weapons to arrive," Casey added on to what Chuck had finished saying.

Later that night Shaw met with Diaz and showed him the case of AK-47' that he had. The deal was struck and the delivery would take place just over the border in Mexico. The weapons would be transported in by truck driven by ATF agents. The Mexican Government would have its people there to make the arrests. They would surround the town just prior to the deal taking place and close in on the arms dealer while the transaction went down. Chuck and his team would trail the truck and Shaw in case he needed help.

The day finally came for the weapons to be delivered. Shaw was showing the Weapons to Diaz and his men when the authorities moved in. One of Diaz's men recognized one of the under Mexican soldiers and started to fire wildly at him. This caused the Mexican authorities to return fire and a small gun battle broke out. Shaw grabbed Diaz and dragged him to where his team was waiting. They managed to recover all the weapons and most of the money. Several men escaped during the melee and were being hunted down by the Mexican Police. The mission was a huge success with several high ranking Pharaoh Cartel members in custody. They may not have taken them down, but they did set them back in a big way.

**Costa Nova**

White and Carina had been making slow advances towards their objective. They were making their way up the ladder towards the man they believed to be the leader of the rebel cause. One of the Generals in the Army had a large group of men loyal to him. They were planning a hostile takeover of the country. When they took over they would increase production in the mines and pass out the gold like it was candy. The one time they had met, the General explained that the country was poor because the ruling party refused to mine more gold.

Carina and White soon figured out he was jealous of his brother who was the President of the country. He was nothing more than someone seeking power and would do anything to get it. They talked it over with the President and came up with a plan.

The president threw a large party to honor all the men in his Army with the highest ranking officers required to attend. Carina would do what she did best and get the General to a room in the presidential Palace and White would subdue him and turn him over to the president's men. The operation went perfect and with the General no longer in power the plan to take over went away. White and Carina were Honored and had to remain a few more days at the President's request.

**ISA **(after both missions)

White and Eve went into the big three's office. Several months ago the room had been enlarged to allow the placement of two more desks, one each for Casey and Sarah to use.

"Eve and I are ready to take down Shaw. Eve wants to personally handle the questioning. She has been working on her skills," began White.

"I have a few issues left to settle with my ex-husband. This will give me a chance to show him how I feel about his leaving my ass for dead," stated Eve. "I also know some weak points he has mentally I can use against him. Bill and I will arrive at noon today. When we do you guy's will need to head out to lunch."

"When you get done with him let us know and we'll have his ass hauled off for further questioning. Make sure he's alive for the most part," suggested Chuck.

"No problem boss. Eve and I will see you guys later," White and Eve departed the room to prepare for the meeting at noon.

"This afternoon should be very interesting," mulled Casey. "She has some serious issues with Shaw."

"I don't blame her either," Sarah said. "I have faith she will be able to pull it off without inflicting too much damage."

**Shaw's Office**

Chuck Sarah and Casey had just left for lunch when the door opened and Eve walked into the office. She was dress to thrill wearing a skirt so short it barely covered anything. He top was not much better, long sleeved, tight fitting and low cut. Daniel stood up as soon as she entered his eyes raking over every inch of her body.

"Hello Miss, I'm Daniel can I help you?"

"Time will tell Danny Boy," she said as she took a seat next to his desk. Shaw bristled at being called Danny, he hated that name. "I'm here to offer you a deal. We would like you to come and work for us at the Consortium." She leaned in a little closer causing her top to open just a little bit more.

"The Consortium? I never heard of that company. What do they make?"

"Danny, don't play coy with me. We know all about your connection to the Ring and CIA. So we can play it anyway way you want."

"Ring, CIA what are you talking about Lady? I run a consulting firm here." Shaw was scrambling about now. He couldn't figure out if she was on the level or trying to bring him in.

"Danny, Danny, Danny," she purred while shaking her head. "One of my best agents recommended we bring you on board. She said you have potential. She did warn us however that you should work alone. You left your wife to die on one mission."

"My wife was an accident. She knew the risks involved in the mission. I did what any agent would have done."

"She didn't see it that way at the time, Danny Boy." This made Shaw nervous; Eve was dead as far as he knew. "Now back to our offer. You have three options you can choose from. The first is to stay where you are. Should you choose this option we will inform both the CIA and Ring about what you have been doing over the last year. You can then fend for yourself against them." Eve rose up from her chair and began to circle the room.

"The second option is you decide which of them you want to work with and turn on the other one. Either way you have the CIA or Ring after you. The third option is you join us. The choice is yours to make. If you join us we will need you to prove your loyalty to us."

"You're not leaving me many options here are you?"

"Not really Danny, when we decide we want someone we get them or no one else does. You understand that Danny don't you?"

"What do you need me to do?"

"It's simple really," she began. "You send a message to the Ring Directors telling them that we know where they are located and we intend to kill them off one at a time." She placed a folded sheet of paper on the desk and waited for Shaw to open it. When he did he saw a list of names and addresses.

"Make sure they have as many of their people there as possible. Tell them they need to head to their secure location in the islands. Send the location to the CIA; you can use any of the fools you have working here. Yes Danny, we know about them as well. Tell the CIA where it is and when they will arrive. We will take care of them at the same time."

"When do you need this done by?"

"That depends on how long you want to live. If it's not done by the time I walk out that door, I place a call to my contact at the CIA. They will place a sanction on you. Sarah, Chuck and Casey are right outside; they will end you before I'm a block away. My associate outside is giving us some privacy right now." Shaw walked to his window and looked out. True to the ladies word his people were talking to a man he didn't know.

"Give me a minute to send the e-mails and close up in here. I need to inform my partner where to meet up with us."

"We will take care of Mr. Grimes for you. Just tell me where he is and I'll have him brought to you. Take all the time you need Danny Boy, we are not in that much of a hurry." She moved over next to him as he began typing the e-mails. Once the e-mails were finished he placed a call on his phone to the Ring telling them of the imminent danger they were facing.

"Now that I have done everything you have asked, can you at least tell me your name?"

"You know the game Danny; I can't tell you my name. I'll make you a deal. I'll tell you some things about you that I know and if you can guess, well I won't have to tell you now will I?" Eve was standing very close to Shaw by now; he could feel her breath on his cheek.

"You like the wild side of life. You're an egotistical bastard that left his wife for dead. You have played around with men as well as women. You want to reach the top but use others to get you there. Your big problem is you can no longer perform in bed and you gave me this," she held up a pendent he gave her after they were married. "Sarah Walker had nothing to do with me wanting to leave your sorry ass. You ruined your life and Morgan's life for a petty vendetta."

"Evelyn?" Shaw was shocked. He knew he was in trouble now. Eve, not looking like herself at all was standing in front of him. He recognized the look she was giving him. It was the one that said she won the argument.

"Got it in one Danny, Evelyn White CIA, to be exact, I knew I could play you like a drum you poppas ass. There is no consortium you fool. You did what you always did, tried to save your own ass. Well guess what? Your ass is ours now and when we're through with it there won't be much left." She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for his response.

"You Bitch," he screamed at her. He lunged at her screaming, "You rui…" his words were cut off as a knife was lodged in his throat held by Eve's hand. He could faintly hear her words as the life began to leave his body.

"I'm not the person I was before Danny. Have fun in Hell." She twisted the knife one last time before pulling it out as he slumped to the floor. She withdrew the knife and wiped it on his shirt before placing it back in the sheath on her arm. She walked outside to join her husband and teammates.

"It's done. All the information we need has been sent to the CIA. I have Morgan's location as well. We should be able to move in on the Ring in a week. Casey make sure that piece of shit is dead." She took Whites hand and they walked away from the scene leaving the cleanup operations to the others.

"I told you she was spending too much time practicing with White," said Casey.

"Because it was a clean effective kill?" asked Chuck.

"No, because of the comment she made on the street. She knew he was dead the second she stabbed him and twisted the knife."

"I think it was the way she told him to have fun in Hell. White uses that saying a lot," added Sarah.

It took a few days for Sarah and Carina to pinpoint Morgan's exact location in Miami. When Shaw's warning and news of his death spread throughout the Ring, agents began to leave their safe havens and move to their back up locations or the island if they were high enough in the Ring. With Orion's help Morgan's computer's IP address was easily traced and led the two female agents to his location. They approached his door with their weapons out and knocked.

"Morgan, its Sarah open the door we need to talk."

Morgan and Julie were relaxing on the couch when the knocking began. Both of the jumped to their feet and drew their weapons. When they heard the summons and who was issuing it Julie lowered her weapon and said to Morgan, "I suggest we do what they ask."

"Julie are you nuts, they're the bad guys. It's our chance to stop them and break up the team."

"Morgan you don't get it do you? We turn evidence against the Ring and we can plea for a nice cell in a cushy prison."

"Morgan please open the door and save yourself further charges. We can work out a deal."

"Agent Walker, it's Julie Banks, I'm giving up. There's no way I want to mess with you or the crazies you work with. I'm unarmed and will be on the floor if you bust in."

Morgan walked to the door and opened it. As soon as he did he was pushed face first to the ground and had his hands cuffed behind him. Julie was already on the ground like she promised and was cuffed by Carina. Soon both of them were seated on the sofa with Sarah and Carina standing in front of them. Sarah started off first.

"Julie, care to tell us about your involvement with the Ring?"

"About a year ago I was walking the streets in Vegas looking for a John. I was hooked on drugs and needed to make some quick cash. This guy, Daniel, approached me with a job offer. He would pay me ten grand a month to hang out and date his friend, Morgan. I have a kid living with my mom because of my problems. It was easy money. I just followed Morgan wherever Daniel sent him. When Morgan wanted to have sex we did. Hell it was better than being on the streets. I got clean and sent the money home to my mom."

Morgan hearing this was in total shock. His girlfriend was nothing more than a hooker.

"So all this time you've been playing me?"

"At first yeah I did. After I got to know you I started too actually like you. We could never be more than what we are but the sex was good."

"You still didn't say anything about the Ring," stated Carina.

"That's because I don't know anything. Morgan is the agent I just provide the sex for him. I helped him out one time by having sex with a guy so he could break into the guy's house. The most I can go down for is being an escort for the Ring. Morgan can verify that, so will his reports he keeps on the computer. I only carry that stupid gun because of the neighborhood we're in."

"Is that true Morgan?" asked Carina.

"I did all solo missions, she was just the backup, or so I thought. She may have called in to Shaw a few times but not a lot. Sarah we can switch sides. I'll join whatever group you're with and tell you all I know about the CIA and the Ring."

"Morgan that's the problem, we are CIA and so are you. The problem is the Ring is not part of the CIA or any branch of the Government. Chuck warned you several times but you refused to listen," Sarah stated. Morgan let the words sink in and began to feel the weight of his deeds come down on him. He thought back on all the things he had done and people he killed, all in the name of duty. He now knew that it was all a lie and he fell for it hook line and sinker.

"Oh God Sarah what am I supposed to do? I thought Shaw was telling me truth. All I wanted was for Chuck to respect me again. I was so blinded by the lies Shaw was feeding me that nothing else mattered. I talked to the Ring Director personally a few times and he told me I did well. I didn't feel like a failure anymore. I really fucked up didn't I?"

"The best you can hope for is life in jail if you co-operate. If not they will go for the death penalty. Whether or not you knew won't help you much now. What you did was commit treason. We have a plane standing by to take us to Burbank until Chuck and the Panel figure out what to do with you," Carina paused for a bit before continuing, "Julie if your story checks out we will see what kind of deal we can get you. If I had to guess you won't serve much time, but we will be keeping an eye on you."

"That's not too bad I suppose. Do you think on the way to the airport I could call my Mom and talk to my son? I call him every night and Mom will want to know what's going on."

"I think we can allow that," answered Sarah. They soon left the building and as they walked to the plane Julie was calling home. When they landed at LAX Morgan and Julie were taken into custody and carted off. Carina and Sarah returned home.

It was a bitter sweet return for Sarah as she entered the apartment. She would have to tell Chuck that they had found Morgan and he was now in custody.

"We got him Chuck and he's on his way to the interrogators. I told them to just ask questions of him and leave out the hard stuff. I know he'll give up all the information he has. He looked like a beaten man when he left us," Sarah said as she sat next to Chuck on the couch.

"I just wish he would have listened to me when I warned him. He wanted so bad to impress me that he ruined the rest of his life. In true Morgan fashion he tried the easy way out and got screwed."

"You offered him more than any friend ever would. He made the choice and now he will pay," added Sarah.

"It seems like such a waste for him to go to jail for the rest of his life for being stupid. After they do their investigation there may be some hope for him."

"Chuck I know he's your friend but I don't see any light at the end of his tunnel."

"If all his kills were really Fulcrum agents like he claims, and the information he provided to the Ring checks out as being supplied by Shaw he may get off lighter. He did have a good record in the files we saw. They could just remove him from field status and put him somewhere he can't do any more harm."

"I doubt that will happen, but you can hope it turns out that way," countered Sarah.

"We have a big mission coming up in a few days, and it's going to be hard. There are a lot of things in my life I still want to do, and I want you to be by my side when I do them. There is one thing I can make sure happens before the mission and I plan on doing it tonight." Chuck slid off the couch and took a knee in front of Sarah. He took her left hand in his right one and slid a two carat diamond solitaire on her finger.

"I want you with me forever, from side by side taking down the bad guys, to surfing in Hawaii. Sarah will you marry me and make my life complete?"

"I would love to make your life complete the same as you make mine complete. I would love to marry you."

They took each other in their arms and kissed to seal the deal. The troubles of the day washed away with each kiss they exchanged and before long they were in the bedroom making love for the first time as an engaged couple.

**Two days later at the ISA.**

The War room had been cleared of everyone except for the main team. On separate screens were Frost, Orion and the General. A satellite map showing the Ring's island was on one of the smaller screens. The last screen was a live feed from a predator drone Orion had tasked for the job. He was the first to speak.

"Over the last few days movement to the island has been heavy. Most of the agents are arriving by using the small airstrip in the photo to the left. Several large boats also arrived and are docked on the far side of the island. From what I can tell there are about five hundred people on the island and the number is growing each day." Frost was the next to go.

"On the map is the compound they are holed up in. There are five major structures inside the walls of the compound. The Larger ones are used to house the agents, the smaller one at the bottom looks to house the more important members of the ring and the building in the center looks to be the communications center. On the left is the airfield which is under heavy guard. That is our main concern. The elders could be off the island before we get the chance to shut it down." Beckman was the next to go.

"The main concern we have is the airfield like Frost pointed out, as well as the communications building. If we isolate those two areas' it improves our chances. We can't use military force on this mission but it would help. We can get the navy's help to provide transportation on and off the island."

"General, if I can make a suggestion," interrupted White.

"I think I know where this is going, but continue."

"The CIA still has in its possession several F-14's. We'll need to talk off line to set it up; I don't want to bog down the meeting."

"With the compound as it is, once we shut down the communications and airfield we should be able to move in and shut them down for good," added Frost. "It will be up to them to decide if they want to go peacefully or under fire. We need to have enough people there to assure our people's safety. We could lose a lot of good people if they defend it with all they have."

"We will land our people on the far side of the airfield after it's been taken out. We will then fan out around the walls covering the escape routes. Same rules as the Fulcrum take down," Beckman finished up.

"I will keep the drone on target and give you real time footage of the compound when you move in. Frost will join up with you in a few days to help lead the assault," added Orion.

"I guess that's all for now. I just need to get the logistics of getting our people into the area. I may have to bring the SECNAV in on this. With the Islands location we will need the support of the Navy. I don't think we can use their people but their assets we can. Frost and Orion we'll see you soon. White what's your idea?"

"The USS Kitty Hawk carrier group is within a few hundred miles of our target. With only a slight change in course we can use the Carrier group as our launch site. For the Air assault we can use the planes the CIA has at its disposal. I know a certain Captain who is itching to get back into the air. He ran some missions for the CIA when he worked for them a few years ago. He still maintains his flight status. I think we can get him on board. I'll make some calls and get back to you tomorrow."

"Sounds like it may work White. Get back to me with the answer."

"White, are you sure you can pull this off?" questioned Casey.

"I think so. Hammer and I met a long time ago before he suffered his ramp strike. I was flying black ops missions and he flew for the Navy. We've kept in contact over the years. When I went to London he took my bird up a few times," White answered.

"What about the approval from the Navy?" asked Sarah.

"That I can't answer, the General will have to sort that out. I know they supported us back in the day and I hope they do the same again."

"It's still afternoon in London maybe you could call him now and see what he says," suggested Chuck. White picked up the phone and dialed. After getting the normal run around he finally got his party.

"Rabb its White."

"White what can I do for you?"

"Interesting choice of words Hammer, I need a wing man for a small mission I need to do. One runway and one communications building need to disappear. There will be no other aircraft in the area and no air defense. We will be using Miss Kitty as out transport. We need you in a few days. Is this something that is of interest to you?"

"You know me Wraith, I'll need to clear it with the boss and I'll call you back. Just confirm no anti-aircraft weapons in the area; Mac would kill me if I punched out again. "

"Take your time I'll be here."

**One week later.**

The carrier group was in place and waiting for the signal from the command personnel to issue the orders to commence flight operations. General Beckman and Captain Ingles were in the operations room waiting for word that the eight Sea Stallions were within five miles of the coast. Each Sea stallion was loaded to capacity with fifty agents on each one. The lead bird carried the Bartowski team. On the Deck of the Kitty Hawk two black F-14's were in place on the catapults waiting for the signal to launch.

"Skates, how's it feel to be flying with Hammer again?" questioned White from the other waiting Tomcat.

"Like old times Wraith. He just better not drop my ass in the drink again," replied Skates. "How does it feel to be flying with your wife?"

"He better enjoy flying with me, or he won't be sleeping in the same bed with me for a while," quipped Eve.

"Easy there Blade, he needs to keep his head in the game," called Hammer.

The operations officer that was monitoring the scopes saw the Sea Stallions cross over the five mile barrier, and informed the Captain. The Captain up to the flight deck and issued a two word command, "Shoot em."

The two F-14's were launched into the sky and headed to the island to do the only job they had. Once over the island they made their first pass over the compound. Using laser guided munitions Hammer and Skates took out the Air Field while Wraith and Blade took out the communications building. On the second pass they took out a large part of the wall facing the Air field. This would allow their agents to gain entry to the compound. When the F-14's had finished their first run the Sea Stallions made their approach and began their decent. When the walls had been taken out the Sea Stallions landed and the agents began to unload. The Planes circled overhead in case they would be needed.

Chuck, Casey Frost and Sarah were in the middle of the teams that were entering through the wall. Armed with their M-4's the group began their trek to the small building. Any agents that offered were cut down in short order. Sarah was jumped from behind and had to resort to hand to hand combat the dispatched the agent that attacker her. Using her knife she stabbed him twice under the arm severing his biracial artery. He would bleed out in a few minutes and Sarah left him for dead. Chuck was forced to engage another agent in a similar manner. He chose to thrust his knife deep into the man's chest puncturing his lung and severing the carotid artery. Casey and Frost were shooting anything that got in their way. Ring agents that decided that it was better to give up would never forget the sight of the four agents that were cutting their way through the other agents with frightening ease.

Other groups of agents were entering through the gates and entrances elsewhere along the walls. The live video feed from the drone was being watched in the operations room by the General and Captain. So far the operation was going very well. One of the sailors watching the screen noticed several of the docked boats moving away from the island and alerted the Captain.

"General it's your call to make."

"Take them out Captain."

"Hammer, this is looking glass, you are clear to engage anything leaving the island."

"We are clear to engage targets leaving the Island. Skates set a course to the Boats."

"Hammer come to one three five at angles five. Blade do you copy?"

"Setting course to one three five at angles five. I have two targets on screen. Skates we'll take the one on the port side, you take the one on the starboard."

In a few minutes the pair of fighters closed in on their targets and used their guns to shred the ships and send them to the bottom of the ocean. They resumed their patrol awaiting further instructions.

Back on the island Bartowski and his team were making good time in flushing out the Ring Agents and taking them down. They finally arrived at the small building that they believed housed the Ring Elders. A small fire fight began between the team and the agents that were protecting the Elders. A bullet grazed Chuck on the arm and Sarah caught one in the chest. Her Ballistic vest stopped the round but left her out of breath for a few minutes. She knew she would have a huge bruise on her chest when she got back onboard ship.

Casey was faring much better than his two teammates. His years of combat experience were paying off. If he could just get his two partners to listen to him and not just run in with guns a blazing. Another team followed them into the build and went in the other direction. Casey took the lead after the after his partners got injured. Under Casey's guidance they made quick work of the agents they came in contact with. With the help of other teams they had the Elders in custody.

While Chuck's team was taking down the Elders many of the Ring agents were putting up a good fight. At one time they had the advantage of being in the buildings but the M203 grenade launchers made quick work of the rooms they were firing from. After the agents in the windows were taken care of they tossed tear gas into the buildings wherever they could. Small skirmishes continued for several hours after the assault began but they were few and far between.

Midway through the assault Hammer and Wraith broke of their patrol one at a time to refuel. For the two seasoned pilots it was now nothing more than a waiting game. When the feeds from the drones showed very little ground activity and they received confirmation from Chuck that the compound was under control, the general called them back. Prior to landing the two F-14's did a flyby shaking the watch deck as they screamed by. Minutes later they landed safely on the carrier and Taxied to their parking spaces and waited for their plane crew to secure their birds before exiting the aircraft.

When the battle was finally over they assessed the damages on the island. The task force was in good shape considering the number of Agents they went up against. Over one hundred were injured and the lost forty three men. The Ring was decimated losing over one hundred, with over two hundred injured. The injured were MEDAVACED as soon as they were able to be transported. Ellie and Devon were on the hospital ship treating patients as best they could.

The Sea Knights began shuttling the agents and their prisoners back to the ships they were based on. It was a long process but it was finally done. Down in the operations room things had returned to normal. General Beckman went to the briefing room used by the flight crews to address her team.

The flight crews still in their flight gear were sitting in the front row discussing the mission. Casey was grinning like an idiot with an unlit cigar between his teeth. Sarah's chest was wrapped up to hold the ice pack in place to help with the bruise she got from the round to her chest. Chuck was sporting a sling to keep his arm immobile. Frost had a bandage over her left eye protecting the stitches she received when she got hit with a piece of shrapnel.

"Well if it isn't the walking wounded. You guys look like the painting in my office. All we need is the drummer." When the words left her mouth the flight crews started to hit the side of their chairs simulating the drummer in question. The others in the room began to laugh at the air crews antics. "I should know better by now. From the reports we have coming in it looks like the Ring is on life support. Our technicians are going over their computers for any additional information they can come up with. I will be assigning teams to go after the remaining Ring cells in the near future. For now our work here is done. I'll see you all at the ISA in a few days."

"General since I'm already here and my bird is here, the Captain suggested I renew my Qualls. It shouldn't take more than a few days at most," stated White.

"Who are you trying to kid Agent White? You and Captain Rabb just want to play with your toys for a few more days."

"General can you blame them?" questioned Skates. "Hammer's been land locked for years and so has Wraith."

"Very well White, I expect you and Eve a few days after we return. I'll push the meeting to the right a few days. All you did a great job today. Frost let's get off this floating city and back on dry land. There is a reason I chose the Air Force over the Navy. This is one of them." Frost followed the General out of the room leaving the others behind.

"Anyone up for a joy ride before you head back?" asked White. Each person in the room decided to stay one extra day and get at least one ride before they headed back.

**Secure location**

The panel met several days before the team returned home from the mission.

"When should we tell them about the Cartel?" Frost began.

"Let them be for a while. We have them under control for now but if they become a problem we can call on them," answered Smith.

"Frost you need help plan a wedding for your son. Sarah and Chuck are good agents but they don't have a clue about planning a wedding," Beckman added in.

"I agree with Smith and the General. We can sit tight for a while. From what I can tell at the present rate the Cartel won't try to take power for at least a year. With the agents we have on them now their time line has been slowed way down."

"It's agreed then we wait."

The one thing the Panel knew for sure was that one day the team of Chuck, Sarah, Casey and the ISA would be called on to defend the country against an enemy that the average person would never know about.

**That's all folks!**

**AN: **I would like to thank everyone that stuck with this story. I enjoyed each and every review, good or bad. This story came about while suffering writer block on Futures Past and was only supposed to be several chapters long. Again thank you guys for all the reviews and taking the time out of your lives to read this story.


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